WESTFIELD, Mass. – Westfield State women's lacrosse travels to Waterville, Maine for the 2023 NCAA Division III women's lacrosse tournament this weekend, as the Owls will face Babson College on Saturday at 1:00 p.m. at host site Colby College, with the winner of Saturday's game advancing to face Colby on Sunday.
THE MATCH-UP:
Westfield comes into the game with a 14-5 overall record as the MASCAC champions.
Babson enters at 12-7 after an upset win over #22 MIT in the championship game of the NEWMAC Tournament.
The two teams have several common opponents, and a comparison of scores would indicate that the Owls and the Beavers are likely very closely matched.
|
Common Opponents |
Westfield vs. |
Babson vs. |
|
Skidmore |
W, 18-17 |
L, 11-10 |
|
Wheaton |
W, 14-7 |
W, 19-8 |
|
Springfield |
L, 16-15 OT |
W, 16-6 / W, 15-9 |
|
Framingham State |
W, 18-10 / W, 21-15 |
W, 21-9 |
Westfield has faced just one team that also qualified for the NCAA tournament, SUNY-Geneseo, whom the Owls fell to by an 11-9 score in Florida in the early part of the season. Babson is 1-3 against the tournament field after splitting a pair of games with MIT, and falling to Trinity and national #1 Middlebury during the season.
THE OWLS:
Westfield is scoring 16.37 goals per game, and ranks 15th in the nation in scoring offense. The Owls' attack is very balanced, led by MASCAC offensive player of the year Emma Cretella, with 60 goals and 23 assists for 83 points.
Six Owls have 40 or more points on the season. Cassidy Harvey has added 53 goals and 13 assists. Emma Prattson leads the team with 37 assists.
In goal, Kara Banagan has played the lion's share of the minutes with a .529 save percentage and a 10.66 GAA. Sydney Smith has played in 11 games with a 7.44 GAA and a .423 save percentage.
Banagan was an all-region pick as a freshman in 2021. She's supported by 2023 MASCAC defensive player of the year Olivia Hadla, who has caused 19 turnovers, snared 34 ground balls, and plays a key role in the Owls transition game.
THE BEAVERS:
Babson ranks top 10 in the nation in draw controls and draw controls per game, with sophomore Clare Connolly getting more than 10 per game by herself to lead the nation in that category.
Grad student Emily Curtis is the top goal getter for the Beavers with 65 goals and 24 assists for 89 points. Seniors Erin Jayne (38-27-65) and Claudia Dodge (36-16-52) add scoring support. Babson has scored 15.21 goals per game while holding opponents just under 10 goals per game.
Sophomore netminder Kathleen Murphy has a 9.75 GAA but only a .430 save percentage.
TICKETS:
Tickets for the games are $10 for adults, and $5 for seniors, veterans, students and children under 12. Please note that sales are cash only.
LIVE COVERAGE:
If you can't make it to the venue, you can watch livestream video or follow live stats at www.WestfieldStateOwls.com or at www.ColbyAthletics.com
LOOKING AHEAD:
The winner of Saturday's game will face #12-ranked Colby on Sunday with a 1:00 p.m. start. The other side of the Owls region features #6 The College of New Jersey hosting the winner of #11 Messiah (Pa.) and St. Mary's (Md.)
The two pod winners would meet in the regionals on May 20 and 21.
OWLS TOURNAMENT HISTORY:
Westfield will be making its fifth (2017-19, 2021, 2023) appearance in the NCAA's and have a 2-4 all-time record in tournament play. The Owls won first-round games in 2017 (Castleton, 15-8) and 2018 (SUNY-Morrisville, 17-12) . Westfield fell to Roger Williams by an 18-13 final score in the first round in 2021 in a game played at Colby under pandemic protocols. The Owls return 12 players who played in the 2021 game.