Westfield State Tops Preseason Rankings

WESTFIELD, Mass. --- The Owls of Westfield State have been projected to finish in first place in the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference in a recent poll done by league coaches for women's soccer.

Westfield State headlines the preseason projections with six first-place votes and 48 points. Bridgewater State is not too far behind with two first-place votes and 44 points. These two were last year's MASCAC conference final when the Owls upset Bridgewater State on the road with a 2-1 victory.

Westfield State finished last season with a record of 13-7-1 including a 6-1 record in MASCAC conference play. The Owls capped off a successful 2023 season with a MASCAC Conference Championship win and an NCAA tournament bid.

As the poll favorite, Westfield is looking to repeat prior success and looks ahead to a possible fourth straight Conference Championship with lots of familiar faces.

The league leader in offense last season, Delaney Parker (Orange, Mass.) is a rising senior and looks to continue her success. Parker led the MASCAC in goals, points, and shots from the forward position last fall. With 48 points, 19 goals, and 113 shots, Parker won the 2023 MASCAC Offensive Player of the Year.

The Owls' other half of their offensive duo is rising junior Kiana Muratsuka (Mililani, Hawaii). Muratsuka led the conference last fall in assists and second in goals, points, and shots. Muratsuka posted a final line of 19 goals and 11 assists for 37 points. The rising junior was one of five lady Owls to make the all-conference first team.

Tia Tollis (East Longmeadow, Mass.), a second-year midfielder is looking to build upon her rookie campaign. Tollis was fourth in the conference last season in goals, assists, and points. Tollis is coming off a rookie of the year and all-conference first-team nod as she looks to keep producing offense for her teammates from the midfield.

One key to the Lady Owls' success last season was the other half of the field, defense. Westfield had the third-best goals-against average last season at 1.71 along with the second-most shutouts at 7. One of the reasons behind this is fourth-year defender Jaida Cochran (Middleboro, Mass.). Cochran has won MASCAC Defensive Player of the Year for the past two years. She helped the Owls hold their opponents to 31 goals and a 1.71 goals-against average last season. Cochran has also been awarded to the all-conference first team for three straight seasons now.

The glue that holds this team together protects the goal line for Westfield. Julia Robak (Chicopee, Mass.) is going into her third season as the Owls' keeper. Robak only gave up 20 goals last season while saving 54 shots and accumulating a .168 goals-against average percentage. Robak posted three shutouts for the Owls' and is looking to continue her success into 2024.

The Owls of Westfield State are led by head coach Todd Ditmar. Ditmar has been with the Owls since 2005 and has accrued quite the record. Ditmar has led Westfield to ten MASCAC championships, participated in the NCAA tournament ten times, and has won the MASCAC regular season title eight times. Ditmar has racked up a 203-116-29 record at Westfield State and is on the hunt for a fourth straight MASCAC conference title.

Ditmar has led the Owls down to Tennessee to open the season at the Maryville College Women's Fall Classic tournament in which Westfield takes on Sewanee at 5:00 P.M. Friday, August 30 and Maryville Saturday, August 31 at 7:30 P.M.

-By Hunter Briggs, Sports Information Graduate Intern