WESTFIELD, Mass. – Westfield State Athletics will host a Saturday tripleheader from Alumni Field as part of Homecoming weekend starting with men's soccer at 11:00 A.M., football at 2:00 P.M., then field hockey at 6:00 P.M.

HOMECOMING NOTES: Admission into Saturday's games are free for all individuals. The end zone patio will be open at 12:00 P.M. until 5:00 P.M. Parking for the games will be in the commuter lot on main campus with no parking allowed at Stanley Park. Be sure to arrive early as parking will be sparse due to homecoming festivities and a larger expected crowd.

For additional information regarding Homecoming schedule of events, CLICK HERE

MEN'S SOCCER VS ANNA MARIA – 11:00 A.M. (SENIOR DAY)

In the first of three games from Alumni Field, men's soccer will take on Anna Maria in a MASCAC match at 11:00 A.M. alongside senior day. Prior to the beginning of the match, the Owls will recognize the following seniors: Ryan Denehy, Sonny Mazza, Carter Daughdrill, Enzo Mazza, Aidan Ferguson, Dylan Wesley, Nick Parakilas, Dominic Cirelli, Matias Otero, Jesse Njamnshi, Cairn Bright, and Carter Hebert.

The Owls enter the contest 7-3-4 overall and 3-1-2 in the MASCAC, currently in third place in the conference standings. The AMCATS come into the match with a 3-9-2 season record and a 2-2-2 league mark which is sixth in the MASCAC.

Last Saturday, Westfield secured a 5-4 road decision at Framingham State, led by a four-goal effort from Nick Parakilas (Broad Brook, Conn.) who tallied three goals in the second half to raise his conference-leading goal total to 18. The Owls offense has been explosive over the last two conference matches, scoring 11 goals in a pair of wins against the Rams and Worcester State.

Parakilas is second in all of Division III with 18 goals while his 40 points is tied for second nationally. Dylan Wesley (Agawam, Mass.) and Carter Hebert (Easthampton, Mass.) are tied for second on the team with six goals apiece with Wesley converting in two of his last three games.

Luke Theroux (Chicopee, Mass.) and Marko Kononenko (Kyiv, Ukraine) have shared time in net this season, with Kononenko holding a 0.50 goals against and a .913 save percentage in seven starts. Theroux, the league's all-conference first team keeper a season ago, has a 2.87 goals against and three victories on the year.

The AMCATS are on a four-game winless streak, most recently registering a 1-1 draw at home versus Fitchburg last Saturday. The three games prior were all tightly contested, one goal losses, including a 3-2 loss against the Rams while also battling to a 1-0 score against 12^th ranked Brandeis. Kyle Brocker is the leading goal scorer for Anna Maria as he sits fifth in the conference with eight goals to go along with a team-leading 17 points.

Romain Baert has started nine games in net for Anna Maria, owning a 2.36 goals against average and a 2-6-1 record. Federico Foganio has started the last two matches in net for the AMCATS, holding a 2.34 GAA and a 1-3-1 mark.

FOOTBALL VS PLYMOUTH STATE – 2:00 P.M.

Owls football will be the middle game of the day from Alumni Field at 2:00 P.M. The Owls are 2-3 in the MASCAC, coming off a 35-24 loss to conference-leading Framingham. The Panthers suffered their first loss of the season last week in a 35-28 setback to Anna Maria. The Panthers are tied for second in the conference with a 4-1 record.

Full game preview available HERE

FIELD HOCKEY VS BRIDGEWATER STATE – 6:00 P.M.

The third game of the Homecoming tripleheader matches the top two teams in the MASCAC up against each other for a 6:00 P.M. showdown with playoff seeding on the line. The Owls carry a program-record 11 game winning streak into the meeting and are 9-0 in the conference thus far. The Bears enter the game with a six-game winning streak of their own and are 8-1 in the league with their only loss coming against the Owls earlier in the season.

The Owls picked up a 5-4 road triumph at Bridgewater on September 30, which at the time was Westfield's fifth straight win. Westfield scored three of the final four goals in the contest, a game-tying goal from Caroline Andrade (Watertown, Mass.) followed by two goals (including the go-ahead marker) from Kacey Curran (Fall River, Mass.).

Westfield's most recent victory came against Anna Maria, improving the Owls to a 13-3 record, tying the single-season program win mark.

Kaleigh Murphy (Pembroke, Mass.) leads the Owls with 16 goals which is third in the MASCAC. Murphy has 96 career points and will look to become the fourth Owls athlete to reach the 100-point mark in program history. The Owls have a plethora of scoring depth behind Murphy including Andrade and Curran as the rookie tandem each have netted nine goals. 13 different Owls have found the back of the cage this season.

Emma Gniadek (Worcester, Mass.) has won her last seven starts between the pipes, registering a 2.04 goals against average and an .816 save percentage. She faced the Bears in the first game between the two sides, making four saves to secure the win.

Bridgewater State brings a lethal scoring duo into Saturday's game between Samantha Souza and Abbie Zuber. Souza is second in all of Division III with 30 goals and has amassed 67 points to lead the MASCAC. Zuber also packs a secondary scoring punch for the Bears, logging 18 goals which is tied for eighth nationally. The Bears have the top five assist getters in the league as well.

Brianna Gagnon has shouldered the load in goal for the Bears this season, compiling a 13-1 record with a 1.23 goals against average and an .820 save percentage. Gagnon's only loss came against Westfield after allowing a season-high five goals. She enters the match having shut out her last three opponents.

If Westfield wins, they will lock up at least a share of the MASCAC regular season title and would be the number one overall seed in the MASCAC Tournament. A Bridgewater victory would pull the Bears even with the Owls with two games left on each team's schedule. 

COVERAGE

If you cannot make it to the Homecoming weekend festivities, visit WestfieldStateOwls.com for video and live stats of all three games. Forecast for the day calls for clouds and sun with a high temperature of 56 degrees with light and variable winds out of the northwest.