The Westfield State Owls land the top spot in the 2016 Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference Women's Lacrosse Tournament which will begin with the quarterfinal round on Tuesday, May 3.
Starting the tournament Tuesday with the quarterfinal round will be fourth seed Worcester State hosting fifth seed Framingham State at 4 pm then third seed Fitchburg State entertaining sixth seed Salem State at 7 pm. Second seed Bridgewater State will host the winner of Fitchburg State/ Salem State on Thursday in the first semifinal at 6 pm while Westfield State will host either Worcester State/Framingham State at 7 pm.
The two semifinal winners will face off on Saturday at the highest remaining seed and a time to be determined to decide the MASCAC Women's Lacrosse Tournament Champion and the league's automatic qualifier into the NCAA Tournament.
Earning a share of the MASCAC regular season title and top seed, Westfield State closed out the regular season with a 6-1 record in league play. Leading the way for the Owls was goalie Mimi Khampaeng who led the conference in goals against (96), save percentage (58.1) and goals against average (7.19). She also had the second most wins (12) and win percentage (75).
Getting the other first round bye and a piece of the regular season crown is second seed Bridgewater State also with a 6-1 record. The Bears' duo of Melissa Renauld and Lauren Geary had a strong season for the squad, tallying 67 and 66 points, respectively. Renauld finished with 40 goals and 27 assists while Geary netted 50 goals and 16 assists.
Fitchburg State lands in the third seed with a 6-1 MASCAC record for the final share of the regular season title. The Falcons goalie Liz Darrigo ended the regular season second in goals against average (8.04), saves (161) and save percentage (54) while having the best win percentage (76.5) in the league.
Finishing conference play at 4-3, Worcester State earns the fourth seed in next week's tournament. Jackie Connors had a solid season for the Lancers with a conference leading 103 points on 61 goals and 42 assists. She also tallied the third most draw controls with 66.
Rounding out the tournament field are Framingham State and Salem State in fifth and sixth, respectively. The Rams netted three wins in league action. Kimberly Foley led the team with 52 goals and 10 assists while also collecting 54 draws and 46 ground balls. The Vikings finished with two MASCAC victories. Erin Riley tallied 44 goals and six assists for 50 points with 28 draws and 27 ground balls during the regular season.
During the 2015 Tournament, Bridgewater State captured their third straight MASCAC Women's Lacrosse Tournament championship as the third seed Bears downed top seed Westfield State University, 13-12, in overtime to advance to the NCAA Tournament.
Release Courtesy of Emily Diekelmann | MASCAC Director of Media Relations