Women’s Lacrosse Selected Third in MASCAC Preseason Coaches’ Poll

WESTFIELD, Mass. – Westfield State University women's lacrosse was picked to finish in third place for the 2026 season as part of the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference Preseason Poll as voted on by the coaches throughout the league.

The Owls, who have served as a perennial powerhouse in the MASCAC after having won six of the last eight MASCAC Championships, recorded 39 points to place third. Worcester State, the conference's defending champion, was chosen as the preseason favorite with 48 total points and six of the eight first-place votes. Receiving the other two votes and in second in the poll is Framingham State, earning 40 points to edge Westfield.

Last season, the Owls finished 5-1 during the conference regular season and 7-11 overall, earning the second seed in the MASCAC Tournament. Westfield earned a first-round bye and advanced into the conference semifinals where their season would come to an end in overtime against Framingham State, 9-8.

The Owls had seven players named to the 2025 MASCAC All-Conference team last season, all of whom graduated after the season and will be looking to several returning players and many incoming student-athletes to replace the firepower lost up front, in the back and in net.

Mercedes Rozzi (South Burlington, Vt.) is back as the team's returning top goals and points scorer from last season, recording 14 goals and 14 assists for 28 points. The senior midfielder was particularly effective at the end of the season, registering a pair of multi-point games to wrap up the regular season before scoring the game-tying goal with 41 seconds left in regulation of the tournament semifinal game to force overtime.

Arianna Andresen (Port Jefferson Station, N.Y.) and Shea O'Brien (Ayer, Mass.) figure to slot into impactful roles on attack with Andresen tallying eight goals and 14 assists while O'Brien posted six goals and six assists. Midfielder Samantha Dyer (Dover, N.H.) joins Rozzi as the only two players with ten of more goals back from last year, tallying 11 goals with five assists.

In goal, the Owls will turn to senior Izzy Conley (North Salem, N.Y.) after losing Kara Banagan and Sydney Smith who combined for nearly 1,000 minutes in net last season. Conley played in five games last season and in limited time produced strong numbers with a 6.60 goals against average and 54.3 save percentage.

The Owls will field a relatively young team overall this season as 14 of the 25 players on the roster will be first-year athletes.

Westfield State will begin the 2026 regular season with a pair of home games with the season opener on Wednesday, March 4 against MIT at 5:30 P.M. from Alumni Field in Westfield, Mass.