The top-seeded Westfield State Owls celebrate a goal against Framingham State. Westfield will host a semifinal game on Thursday at 7:00 p.m. (Matt Zarrella Photo)
WESTFIELD – The Westfield State women’s lacrosse team has earned the top seed in this week’s Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference Tournament.
The Owls finished the regular season with a 13-4 overall record and a 5-1 mark in the MASCAC. The Owls finished in a 3-way tie atop the conference standings with Fitchburg State and Bridgewater State, but through a series of tie breakers Westfield was awarded the top seed.
Westfield gets a first-round bye, and will host a semifinal round game at Alumni Field at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, May 5 against the winner of Tuesday’s game between #4 seed Worcester State and #5 seed Framingham State.
The Owls are the top seed for the second straight season. The Owls started the 2016 season slowly, with a 1-3 record through three games. However a pair of tough games in Florida during the spring break trip helped steel the Owls for the remainder of the season, with Westfield winning 12 of 13 games after flying north, the only blemish a 7-6 overtime loss to Fitchburg on April 9.
Westfield enters the tournament as the top defensive team in the league, and one of the better defensive teams in the nation. The Owls are yielding just 7.02 goals per game to opponents, and led by senior goalkeeper Mimi Khampaeng, have a 57.6 save percentage.
Three senior defenders, Jordan Daniels, Ally Roach, and Jenn White contribute to that effort.
The Owls have a balanced scoring attack that belies their efficiency. While the Owls don’t have a single player who ranks in the top 20 in the league in scoring, nine Owls have scored 15 or more goals this season, led by freshman Sydney Lambert’s 22. Senior Roni Orcutt is enjoying a breakout season with 21 goals and a team leading 21 assists for a team best 42 points. Senior Blair Smith and freshman Alexa Tonelli have each added 21 goals.
The winner of the conference tournament earns an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. For the Owls, that would be a first, and a chance to atone for last season, when the Owls were tantalizingly close before falling to Bridgewater State, 13-12 in overtime in the title game. – Courtesy of Westfield State Sports
