Women’s Lacrosse and Their Winding Path to a Sixth MASCAC Championship in Seven Seasons

WESTFIELD, Mass. – The Westfield State women's lacrosse team have put together quite the seven-year run, featuring six MASCAC Championship titles, a combined record of 93-42 and an astounding 52-6 mark against conference opponents.

This past season, the Westfield State women's lacrosse team captured a second-consecutive MASCAC Championship, defeating Framingham State in the conference championship game on the road, 11-6, to punch their ticket into the NCAA Tournament for the sixth time. The Owls run to a sixth MASCAC title this season did not come without challenges as the team dealt with several significant hurdles to get to their ultimate goal of winning a sixth conference championship in the last seven seasons.

"It was a great season but it was a very challenging one," said women's lacrosse head coach Jeff Pechulis. "We tried to leave each game better than we entered it and that was the mindset. Focus on everything with the exception of the score."

Challenges sprang up early in the season for the Owls in the form of injury starting on the Owls spring break trip to Panama City Beach, Florida in March. In the Owls final game of the trip, 2023 MASCAC Offensive Player of the Year Emma Cretella (Cheshire, Conn.) suffered a season-ending injury, leaving a sizeable gap to fill in the Owls midfield.

"Emma was an aggressive leader offensively and defensively. She lit up the room every time she came in and made everybody laugh. She did a great job maintaining a positive attitude (while injured). We were struggling to fill her spot, and when we did the player that filled her spot went down."

"I wasn't sure where to go halfway through the season," added Pechulis. "It was going to be tough to win another championship."

A combination of the injury to Cretella and a challenging non-conference schedule led to the Owls losing three of their next four games as Westfield would face five teams that were either ranked or had been receiving votes for the top 20 during the course of the season.

"We used those games as learning moments as players and coaches," explained Pechulis with regards to matching up against ranked opponents. "When we played our conference games, it made things a little more manageable."

The team then prepared for the conference opener against Mass. Maritime when another key piece to the Owls team would fall to injury. Graduate transfer student Kylie Buchanan (Westfield, Mass.), who scored 48 goals for Western New England in her senior year, missed the league opener along with four other games during the middle of the season after netting 19 goals over the first eight games of the season for the Owls.

Despite the numerous injuries that occurred during the season, the Owls core group of players delivered exceptional results, beginning with a loaded defensive unit which Pechulis detailed as the "fab four". The Owls boasted a pair of MASCAC Defensive Player of the Year recipients, 2024 honoree Victoria Paine (Dudley, Mass.) and 2023 DPOY Olivia Hadla (Westfield, Mass.) along with three-time, MASCAC First-Team defender Paige Jelliffe (Monroe, Conn) and 2023 All-Conference selection Lindsey Panneton (Tyngsboro, Mass.).

"Victoria is an amazing athlete. She always wanted to get better despite playing at such a high level." Along with winning the MASCAC Defensive Player of the Year, Paine was also named the WSU Female Athlete of the Year for her efforts. "Our starting four unit defensively was absolutely amazing and they kept us in every single game."

The "fab four" in combination with senior goalkeeper Kara Banagan (Niskayuna, N.Y.), a three-time MASCAC All-Conference First-Team keeper, allowed just 9.02 goals against in league games.

"In some of the games that Kara played in, the save percentage would blow your socks off alone, but sometimes it's just the individual saves that she makes that are just astounding," replied Pechulis. "She keeps getting better each year and you would think at some point a player is done learning and getting better, but it does not stop with her."

Banagan was an integral piece to the team's championship run this season, particularly in the MASCAC Championship game itself. The Owls stifled Framingham, holding them to just six goals in part to the phenomenal effort from Banagan who registered 12 saves on 18 shots on goal.

Pechulis credited the goaltending tandem of Banagan and Sydney Smith (Dalton, Mass.) for their efforts this season sharing time in net.

"[Kara] is in a great position because she has Sydney Smith right behind her. There is not as much pressure on her, and she can focus specifically on the next shot. She knows that if she was having a tough time that she had Sydney to step in and take over."

Both Banagan and Smith nearly split time in net during the course of the season with Banagan starting in 11 games while Smith got the starting nod nine times. "It was a tough decision every game to try and figure out who was going to start," said Pechulis. "Neither one of them knew and honestly neither did I until the day before the game. They were both closer than they ever were both personally and talent-wise. They realized that it would be better to work together and enjoy the moment together."

Impactful contributions for the Owls were also found up front despite dealing with such turnover due to injuries sustained to Cretella, Buchanan, and first-year midfielder Mollie Pacheco (Tolland, Conn.) who initially took Cretella's spot before falling with an injury of her own.

One key stabilizing player for Westfield was fifth-year attacker Megan Bailey (Quincy, Mass.) who led the Owls with 48 goals and 84 draw controls, and was second in points (56), ground balls (37), and caused turnovers (25). She earned a spot as an All-Conference First Team attacker.

"Megan has always had it in her and she can do anything on the field. She is the perfect player, does it all and asks for nothing but to play harder," said Pechulis. Bailey finished her Owls career as the all-time leader in career draw controls with 230 and was second in ground balls at 163.

Coach Pechulis also highlighted a pair of players that elevated their play from last season after receiving additional opportunities due to the carousel of injuries. "Mercedes Rozzi was a very smart player. She knew what she needed to do and she executed. She's a strong teammate and contributed well for us."

"Lindsey Bohenko also stepped up and jumped into a starting role after coming from basketball so she was a little behind but finished the season strong and with tremendous effort."

Rozzi and Bohenko each collected 30 draw controls for the Owls during the season, which was tied for the third most on the team. Rozzi netted 22 goals and compiled 11 assists while Bohenko tallied 11 goals and nine assists, providing important depth for the team.

The majority of the Owls offense ran through senior midfielder Kiely Hafensteiner (Niskayuna, N.Y.) and junior attacker Emma Prattson (Tolland, Conn.). Hafensteiner and Prattson accounted for nearly half of the Owls assists on the season, distributing 66 of the team's 140 assists. Hafensteiner led Westfield with 59 points (20 goals, 39 assists), earning placement on the MASCAC All-Conference First Team as one of eight Owls on both all-conference teams.

The duo also topped the 100-point career mark on the same night in a 21-6 victory over Fitchburg State where the Owls were building momentum heading into the final weeks of the season, winning six of eight games during that stretch.

There were several instances during the course of the season where depth prevailed for the Owls, beginning in the conference opener against Mass. Maritime where eight different players scored a goal, including a nine-point effort from sophomore Arianna Andresen (Port Jefferson Station, N.Y.). First-year Willow Romo (Marlboro, Vt.) would also provide a spark for Westfield as well, tallying five goals which led to the league naming her the MASCAC Rookie of the Week for her efforts.

The Owls neared the single-game scoring record in the contest, burying 25 goals to finish two shy of the program record.

The MASCAC Championship game also had a handful of different Owls scorers as seven different Owls found the back of the net with Buchanan and Prattson leading the way with three goals each.

"The team stepped up as a whole," said Pechulis. "It was challenging and Framingham played great all season. But their play kept pushing us and we took the challenge head on."

Westfield advanced into the NCAA Tournament for the sixth time and faced Cortland State in an NCAA Tournament First Round game, battling to a hard-fought 13-9 loss after leading the Red Dragons in the closing minutes of the first half.

The Owls now turn the page on what was another successful season culminating in a MASCAC Championship. As for the outlook of the 2025 season, Coach Pechulis is optimistic about another potential title run.

"We have a very smart and talented rising senior and junior class and we have a strong freshman class that are moving into positions where they have more opportunities. I have the expectation that we will be fighting for a trip to the NCAAs."