From a lightly-played reserve as a freshman to the conference player of the year as a junior, Owls' senior goalkeeper Maria Woodall has been a huge key to the Westfield State women's lacrosse team's success, and she and the third-seeded Owls will look to make one more run through the MASCAC tournament this week.
The 2018 season was a special one for Woodall as the Owls' lacrosse team won their second MASCAC championship game in a row, as Woodall won tournament MVP honors for the second straight year. She led the conference in three different categories (goals against average, save percentage, and total saves) and was named the 2018 MASCAC Player of the Year while setting a school record for saves in a season with 198.
Her efforts helped the Owls set a school record for wins (18) and advance to the second round of the NCAA Tournament for a second straight season.
Woodall, a Norfolk, Mass., native credits Owls' head coach Jeff Pechulis for her success.
"I would say a lot of my success comes from my coach and how he really worked with me throughout the years on bettering my game. I wouldn't be as good as a goalie if it wasn't for my defense", said Maria.
"She came in here with a very unique grip style - crossover left-handed - and it's the first thing we worked on, within two weeks she mastered it," said Pechulis. "We didn't change her grip but we worked on how to get down to the low side, and we came up with a couple techniques for her to work on, and she corrected right away."
"Her throw she needed the most work on, now it is the strongest part of her game", added Pechulis. "She can throw 60 yards on a dime"
Woodall has also developed leadership qualities while backstopping Owls' defense.
"She's huge not only as a leader, she's one of our captains this year, but also leading the defense, she sees what's happening and conveys that to everyone, and gets them clicking as a unit," said Pechulis.
"I think playing with the girls for so many years, and I feel like they have a lot of trust in me," said Woodall.
"She is the hardest working player on the team," said Pechulis. "She set her goals very high for herself."
Woodall progressed through the ranks at Westfield. As a freshman she served as an understudy to then senior goalkeeper Mimi Khampaeng, an All-Conference and all-New England Player.
"They had very different styles," said Pechulis. "Mimi was all over the place, Maria is a little bit more stationary. However, they have the same intensity and fearlessness. You have to be fearless to be a goalie. I think a little bit of Mimi did rub off on Maria, but it may have went the other way as well."
"Maria has her own personality that she has no problem sharing with everybody," laughed Pechulis.
Woodall only played seven games her freshmen but she learned and developed her game.
"I definitely learned to have confidence on the field and to always remember to be on your game and never be afraid to come out of net," said Woodall.
"Coach Pechulis definitely prepared me for it and he eased me into games where Mimi was a head goalie and had a lot of confidence in me, so it definitely helped having my coach and team behind me", said Maria.
Maria's sophomore year she split time in net nearly 50-50 with senior Alanah Melanson, as Woodall played in 20 games, which included the MASCAC championship game where she was named tournament MVP.
As a junior in 2018, Woodall had firmly established herself as the Owls starting goalkeeper. She ended up as the league's player of the year, posting a 9.06 GAA and a .535 save percentage.
This season, through 17 games, Maria has posted .493 save percentage and an 11.22 GAA. While her overall numbers have regressed slightly from her remarkable junior year, the Owls have played a tougher schedule in 2018 that included the 13th-ranked team in the country among their opponents. Woodall's numbers in conference play have been as impressive as ever as she has posted a 6.41 GAA and a .568 save percentage within the league.
Woodall has helped the Owls to win six of their last eight games in the regular season after a bumpy stretch where Westfield lost seven straight after starting the season 2-0.
Woodall will graduate in a few weeks with a double major is criminal justice and political science. After, she graduates she plans on pursuing a career in political science.
"I'm leaning more towards political science because I really like politics in general", said Maria.
Maria said the best part of being a student athlete at Westfield State is the friendships and memories she created with her teammates.
"Creating bonds with teammates," has been the best part of her experience as a student athlete at Westfield State, said Woodall, who will have a chance to create a few more memories for Owls' lacrosse as the MASCAC tournament begins on Tuesday with a first round game against Salem State at Alumni Field at 6:00 p.m.