Westfield, Springfield Match Suspended in Kickoff Classic

WESTFIELD, Mass. –   The final game of the 2022 Owls Kickoff Classic, powered by Westfield Gas and Electric and Whip City Fiber, is suspended.

With Westfield State holding a 2-1 advantage over Springfield College with 18:37 left in the first half, the game was suspended due to a thunder and lightning storm that settled over Westfield.   After a delay of an hour and a half with little relief in sight, the match was suspended.   A restart date is still pending.

There was plenty of action before the stoppage.

Westfield State got on the scoreboard first, when Jenn Rennich tallied off of a left side cross from Delaney Parker to the low left side of the goal just 4:49 into the match.

Springfield tied the match at 1-1 less than four minutes later as Nicole Sweeney tallied off a cross from Kate Minoudis.

Westfield's Rennich then tallied her second goal of the day off of a free kick 24 yards out, which she whistled just under the cross bar for a 2-1 lead.  Just seconds after the goal the field was cleared due to a nearby lightning strike.

Per NCAA Soccer rules, the game remains in a suspended state as the two schools seek a date to continue play.  The match will be resumed from the point of interruption with scores, stats and rosters intact from today.

In the first game of the day, UNE topped Mount Holyoke College by a 6-0 final score. 

Two players from each squad were named to the all-tournament team: Carolina Alvarez and Rachel Balero from Mount Holyoke; and Emily Martin and Riley Dunphy from UNE were selected after game one today.

UNE was 1-1 in the 2-day classic, Mount Holyoke finished 0-2.

Westfield State will be back in action at home on Wednesday, Sept 7 with a non-conference game against Southern Maine.