MASCAC Field Hockey Championship Central

WESTFIELD, Mass. – Top-seeded Westfield State University field hockey will face fourth-seeded Worcester State University in the 2025 Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference Championship game on Saturday, November 8 at 12:00 P.M. from Alumni Field in Westfield, Mass. The winner secures an automatic qualifying bid into the NCAA Tournament.

VIDEO / LIVE STATS

HOW THEY GOT HERE: Westfield State (17-3) advanced into the MASCAC title bout after a 2-0 victory over sixth-seed Framingham State in the MASCAC semifinals on Thursday night. First-year forward Kacey Curran (Fall River, Mass.) scored both goals with senior Kaleigh Murphy (Pembroke, Mass.) assisting on the second marker.

Worcester State (9-11) has won a pair of tournament games to reach the championship game, defeating fifth-seeded Salem State 3-1 at home before traveling to Bridgewater State to eliminate the second-seeded Bears 2-1 in double overtime. Senior Allison Keenan (Marlborough, Mass.) scored the golden-goal winner and now has two goals during the Lancers postseason run.

LAST YEAR: The two sides faced off against one another during last year's MASCAC Tournament, meeting in the semifinals where the Owls clawed out a 1-0 victory with Erin Lane (Canton, Mass.) scoring the game's lone goal with just 2:19 remaining in regulation. Owls senior goalkeeper Emma Gniadek (Worcester, Mass.) made ten saves in a shutout effort.

REGULAR SEASON SERIES: The Owls took both games in the regular season, both by narrow one-goal margins, with Westfield's overtime win at Worcester on October 14 serving as the sixth consecutive game where the contest was decided by one goal between the two teams. Both matchups were 2-1 Owls victories with Curran and Murphy scoring in the first matchup. In the second game, the Owls trailed 1-0 after a Kae Coleman (Attleboro, Mass.) goal 4:52 into the first quarter. Westfield found the tying marker to begin the fourth off the stick of first-year Alyssa Reynolds (Somers, Conn.), leading to Murphy's eventual overtime winner.

WESTFIELD STATE: Westfield carries a longstanding 15-game winning streak into the title game with their last loss coming on September 11. The 17 wins overall is a program record for most wins in a single season. The Owls have won 15 straight conference games dating back to last season which includes their run to a MASCAC Championship.

Murphy logged an assist on Thursday night and is now the fourth player in program history to reach the 100-career point mark, passing Heather Cabral '91 for fourth on the all-time list. Her 17 goals scored this season puts her in a tie for sixth for most goals in a single season.

Curran's two-goal effort in the semifinal game moves her scoring total to 12 on the season, putting her in a tie with other rookie forward Caroline Andrade (Watertown, Mass.).

Gniadek earned her 11^th win of the season in goal on Thursday night, improving her season numbers with a 1.65 goals against average and an .814 save percentage.

WORCESTER STATE: The Lancers are hitting their stride at the right time entering Saturday's championship, winning six of their last seven games while avenging their only loss in that stretch in the conference semifinals to Bridgewater. Worcester's offense has also performed well during their last seven games, scoring three or more goals in five of those contests. In the first season the MASCAC took field hockey under its umbrella in 2023, Worcester State served as its inaugural champions, winning the title 2-0 against Framingham.

Keenan has had the hot hand in the playoffs, scoring twice to improve her goal total to seven on the season. Standout first-year forward Kaylie Ciccone (Douglas, Mass.) has shouldered the scoring load this season, tallying 13 goals and adding seven assists for the fifth-most points in the MASCAC (33). Coleman, who scored in the second game against the Owls during the regular season, has eight goals and the second most points on the team with 18.

Sophomore goalie Lizzy MacDonald (Medford, Mass.) has started in all 20 games and has played every minute in net, compiling a 2.60 goals against average and a .686 save percentage. MacDonald stopped 17 shots on goal in the two games versus Westfield this season.

VIDEO COVERAGE: Visit WestfieldStateOwls.com for multi-camera video stream along with live stats and postgame ceremony coverage.