Owls Place Four On All-Conference Team

WESTFIELD, Mass. –   Westfield State University, the 2021 Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference women's lacrosse champions, placed four players on the league's all-conference team as announced on Wednesday.

Sophomore attack Cassidy Harvey (Niskayuna, N.Y.), senior midfielder Sam Donohoe (Pepperell, Mass.), first-year defender Victoria Paine (Dudley, Mass./Shepherd Hill) and first-year goalkeeper Kara Banagan (Niskayuna, N.Y.) were all named to the 2021 team.

The league selected a single, first-team for All-Conference honors this year, due to limited participation by several of its schools due to the pandemic.

Harvey finished the year with 16 goals and 14 assists for 30 points, leading the team in assists and ranking second in points. She added eight ground balls and eight caused turnovers in nine games.

Donohoe leads the team with 25 goals, 33 points and 31 draw controls, and snagged 15 ground balls.  The Owls' fifth-year senior has 101 career goals and 28 assists for 129 points, tied for 12^th on the Owls career scoring list.

Paine recorded 18 ground balls and 10 caused turnovers, but most importantly played a key role in clearing the ball from the defensive zone, where the Owls were successful on 139 of 158 tries (88 percent).

Banagan has played in seven games in goal and posted an 8.57 goals-against average and saved 54.9 percent of shots on goal, both of which are the second-best single season totals in school history.

Westfield has an 8-1 overall record, and avenged their only loss of the 2021 campaign with a 14-13 win over Framingham State in the 2021 MASCAC Championship game on Saturday, May 1.

Westfield will next play in the NCAA Division III tournament, getting a first-round bye and will play Roger Williams (R.I.) University at 11:30 a.m. on Sunday, May 9 at Colby College in Waterville, Maine.   The Owls are making their fourth-straight (2017-'18-'19-'21) appearance in the NCAA Tournament.