Field Hockey Scores Four On All Conference Teams
Westfield’s Abby Clark and Kaleigh Murphy were tabbed for the first team, while Erin Lane and Shannon Gover were selected to the second team.
WESTFIELD, Mass. – 2024 Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference field hockey champs Westfield State University placed four players on the league's all conference teams, the circuit announced on Wednesday.
Westfield's Abby Clark and Kaleigh Murphy were tabbed for the first team, while Erin Lane and Shannon Gover were selected to the second team.
Clark, a senior midfield from Uxbridge, Mass (Blackstone Valley HS), was previously named as the MVP of the conference tournament, and confirmed that selection with a first-team All-Conference appearance. A transfer from Division II AIC, Clark ends the year with four goals and five assists in 19 games played. She was also a first-team all-conference pick in softball for the Owls in the spring of 2024.
Murphy, a junior forward from Pembroke, Mass., was the Owls' leading scorer throughout the 2024 campaign. She finished the year with 12 goals and six assists for 30 points. She netted five game-winning goals, including the game-winner in the Owls 2-1 win over Bridgewater State in the MASCAC Championship game. Murphy has totaled 24 goals and 11 assists in her three seasons at Westfield, and she ranks 13th on the Owls career scoring list with 59 points entering her senior year.
Lane, a junior midfielder from Canton, Mass., enjoyed a breakout year with six goals and four assists. She had a knack for scoring in big games, tallying the game winner in an overtime shootout at Salem, the lone goal and game winner in the Owls 1-0 semifinal win over Worcester, and added the first goal of the day in the Owls MASCAC Championship game win.
Gover, a junior from Norwood, Mass., was a key part of the Owls defense. She started all 17 games in which she played, missing a five-game stretch due to injuries at midseason. Her return to the lineup helped propel Westfield to the conference title, as they won 7 of 9 games to win the league title after her return, as the Owls allowed two goals or less in 8 of those 9 contests.
Westfield wrapped up the year with a 13-9 record under second-year head coach Carden Brown. The team set a program record for wins in a season, and made just its second-ever NCAA Division III Tournament appearance – and the first in 43 years. The Owls' season came to a close on Wednesday with a loss to national #8 Shenandoah (Va.) University in the first round of the tournament.