A Busy Weekend for Fall Teams
The Owls' women's soccer, women's golf, and the volleyball teams look to defend The Nest in a busy weekend for athletics.
Westfield State Athletics has a busy weekend ahead of them. The Owls are slated to play two games on Friday, three games on Saturday, and one to wrap up the weekend on Sunday.
Friday, September 15
The Westfield men's soccer team (1-1-1) heads to Mass. Maritime for a 6:00 p.m. start (Note start time moved an hour earlier than originally scheduled due to the weekend weather forecast). The Owls' last match against Rivier ended in a 0-0 draw. Charlie Anischik (South Hadley, Mass.) is looking to continue his great play, already totaling two goals and four points on the young season.
The Owls' field hockey team (2-3) travels to Worcester State for a 7:00 p.m. start time. This game serves as the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference opener, and is a rematch from last year's Little East Conference quarterfinal game where Worcester defeated the Owls 3-2. Sophomore Kaleigh Murphy (Pembroke, Mass.) leads the team this season with a total of nine points.
Saturday, September 16
The volleyball team (0-8) looks to defend The Nest against Lasell University at 12:00 p.m. They lost their last matchup at Keene State with a score of 3-1. Senior Bridgette McAndrews (Longmeadow, Mass.) leads the team with 64 kills and 118 digs. Senior Julia Dangel-Garcia leads the team in assists with 106 on the season.
The women's soccer team (2-3) has home field advantage against Mass Maritime at 12:00 p.m. Junior Delaney Parker (Orange, Mass./ Ralph C. Mahar) and Freshman Tia Tollis (East Longmeadow, Mass.) have already earned MASCAC recognition as Player and Rookie of the week due to their incredible first week of play. Parker has scored four goals in the first four games of the season and with her next goal will break the school record for goals scored.
Sunday, September 17
The men's cross country team travels to the UMass Dartmouth Invitational for a 10:30 AM start. This event was originally scheduled for Saturday but had to be moved due to the inclement weather. The men's team finished 3rd of seven in their last meet at the Trinity College Invitational. Freshman runner Nathan Sylven (Wrentham, Mass./ King Phillip) has stood out in first collegiate season, bringing home the MASCAC honors for Runner and Rookie of the Week in the first week of the season.
The women's cross country team is off to a fantastic start, securing first place in their first two events. Sophomore runner Shea Hamel (Longmeadow, Mass.) has certainly done her part to contribute to the team's success as she secured the MASCAC runner of the week award in the first week of events.
The women's golf team kicks off their season at home for the Westfield State Fall Invitational at 11:00 a.m. at Shaker Farms Country Club. Led by captain Kerry Greenough (Charlton, Mass./Shepherd Hill), the Owls look to build on their 6th place finish at the 2023 Northeast Women's Golf Conference Championship meet last season.
written by Cam Boudreau, Sports Information Intern