Muratsuka, Cochran, Tollis Sweep MASCAC Honors
Westfield State women’s soccer’s Kiana Muratsuka, Jaida Cochran, and Tia Tollis swept all Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference awards after securing the Owls’ third straight MASCAC tournament title this past Sunday.
WESTFIELD, Mass. – Westfield State women's soccer's Kiana Muratsuka (Mililani, Hawaii), Jaida Cochran (Middleboro, Mass.), and Tia Tollis (Longmeadow, Mass.) swept all Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference awards after securing the Owls' third straight MASCAC tournament title this past Sunday.
Muratsuka won the Offensive Player of the Week award after her strong first showing in the MASCAC tournament, where she walked away with tournament MVP honors. The first-year forward logged three assists in the Owls' 3-2 semifinals victory against Worcester State. She then followed it up with the game-tying goal and game-winning assist in the 2-1 MASCAC championship win over Bridgewater State.
Kiana had an impactful start to her career at Westfield State, as she finished the regular season with 13 goals and 10 assists for a total of 36 points which is second in all conference categories.
Cochran won the Defensive Player of the Week award after a strong defensive performance for the Owls in their two MASCAC tournament games. Westfield held their opponents to just eight shots on net over both games. Cochran helped the Owls clinch their third-straight MASCAC title with a clutch block on Bridgewater State's last legitimate scoring opportunity in the title game.
Tollis won her fifth Rookie of the Week award this season after starting in both tournament games and picking up an assist in the semifinal victory over Worcester State. Tollis ended her impressive rookie season with eight goals and six assists for a total of 22 points.
Westfield State earned an automatic qualifying bid into the NCAA Tournament after their conference championship win, and will travel to Messiah University to face the fifth-nationally ranked Falcons in a first-round match from Grantham, Pennsylvania this upcoming weekend. Additional details regarding the match, times, and tickets for the event will be announced as received at WestfieldStateOwls.com.
Written by Cam Boudreau – Westfield State sports information intern