MASCAC-Champions’ Bailey and Banagan Receive Conference Weekly Honors
Westfield State seniors’ Megan Bailey and Kara Banagan received conference recognition this past week, with Bailey earning the MASCAC Offensive Player of the Week and Banagan taking the Defensive Player of the Week.
WESTFIELD, Mass. – Westfield State seniors Megan Bailey (Quincy, Mass.) and Kara Banagan (Niskayuna, N.Y.) received conference recognition this past week with Bailey securing the MASCAC Offensive Player of the Week while Banagan earned the MASCAC Defensive Player of the Week as the Owls claimed their sixth MASCAC Championship in the last seven seasons.
Bailey was named the MASCAC Tournament MVP after an all-around performance in the midfield for the Owls. She totaled one goal, one assist, six ground balls, and seven draw controls to help guide the Owls to an 11-6 win over Framingham State in the MASCAC Championship game. She also tallied a career-high 11 draw controls in the 22-10 conference semifinal win over Worcester State on Thursday.
Across 19 games, Bailey posted a team-high 44 goals and was second on the Owls with 52 points. She set career-high marks in goals, assists (eight), points, and draw controls (78) for an Owls team that won its second straight league title. Bailey enters her third NCAA Tournament appearance with career marks of 67 goals and 22 assists for a total of 89 points, winning 224 draw controls and scooping up 162 ground balls over five seasons.
Banagan's exceptional play in between the pipes allowed the Owls to pull away in both tournament games. She compiled a 63.3 save percentage, 7.33 goals against average, and registered 19 saves in the two games, stopping 12 of 18 faced in the championship game over Framingham.
On the season, Banagan has been one of the top goalkeepers in the league, leading all players with a 51.1 save percentage while allowing the fewest goals against at 94. She posted a 3-1 record against league opponents with a goals against average of 8.40 in those games. Banagan will be playing in her third NCAA Tournament game, posting a 10.23 career-goals against average along with a 52.0 save percentage.
Westfield State earned the automatic qualifying bid into the NCAA Tournament after winning the MASCAC Championship as the Owls will travel to Tufts University to face Cortland State in a first-round matchup on Saturday at 1:00 P.M. from Bello Field in Medford, Mass. Ticket information, video, live stats, and other tournament coverage will be provided when released at WestfieldStateOwls.com.