WESTFIELD, Mass. - Westfield State University's women's soccer team is taking a break from the normal preseason training routine with a trip to the Mid-Atlantic states, where they will continue with preseason preparation for the 2017 season.
The Owls have been
picked to finish third in the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference in the preseason coaches' poll, which was released today.
The Owls under 13
th-year head coach Todd Ditmar, are starting the trip on the Outer Banks of North Carolina, staying and training near Corolla for the first five days. Westfield will scrimmage Virginia Wesleyan University in Norfolk, Virginia, on August 26, then spend three days in Washington, D.C., and scrimmage with Catholic University on August 28.
Part of the time in D.C. will be engaged in educational activities, with the Owls planning to tour the Capitol and are efforting a White House tour, as well as access to the myriad museums and monuments on the mall.
Westfield took a similar training trip to California in 2015, helping to launch a season that ended with a conference title and an NCAA Tournament bid.
Westfield State finished 2016 with an 8-7-3 overall record, and a 5-1-1 mark in the MASCAC, which earned second place in the regular-season standings. The Owls fell in the semifinals of the conference tournament in a penalty kick shootout.
The Owls will open the 2017 regular-season schedule on September 1 at the Springfield College tournament vs. the host institution.
