Women's Soccer Blanks Salem, Owls Earn #2 Seed in MASCAC Tourney
The Owls got goals from Kiana Muratsuka (Mililani, Hawaii), Tia Tollis (East Longmeadow, Mass.), and Kiki McNary (Brattleboro, Vt.).
| Final | 1 | 2 | T |
|---|---|---|---|
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1 | 2 | 3 |
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0 | 0 | 0 |
Team Stats
Salem St.
| Game Statistics | Westfield St. | Salem St. |
|---|---|---|
| Shots (on goal) | 16 (10) | 8 (4) |
| Saves | 4 | 7 |
| Fouls | 5 | 4 |
| Corner Kicks | 5 | 2 |
| Offsides | 0 | 0 |
WESTFIELD, Mass. — Westfield State women's soccer blanked Salem State, 3-0 in the final game of the regular-season to clinch the second seed in the MASCAC playoff tournament.
The Owls got goals from Kiana Muratsuka (Mililani, Hawaii), Tia Tollis (East Longmeadow, Mass.), and Kiki McNary (Brattleboro, Vt.).
Westfield struck first, as within six minutes of the start, Muratsuka found herself with a golden opportunity. This opportunity came in the form of a corner kick as Muratsuka lined up to take the corner, crossed it into the moshpit and found Tollis. Tollis sought out the centered ball and headed it in to put the Owls up early.
The first half finished 1-0 as Tollis was the difference maker in the first frame. Things would quickly heat up for Westfield in the second half.
Under 20 minutes into the half, McNary got herself on the board. The Vikings were putting pressure on the Westfield defense when Kylie Tomasetti (Northborough, Mass.) got a stop and cleared the ball to Delaney Parker (Orange, Mass.). Parker has been an offensive machine for Westfield this season but this time created a scoring opportunity for her teammate. Parker found a streaking McNary by herself with a lollipop touch to give McNary a one-on-one with the Salem State goalie. McNary drew the goalie out of the net with Parker's touch and drilled it past her to put Westfield up 2-0.
Not even three minutes later, the Owls struck one more time, but it was Muratsuka's turn this time. The Owls controlled the ball in the zone as Salem State failed to clear the ball out. The ball got crossed into the corner to Avery Placzek (Chicopee, Mass.) when she tried making a move and dished to Muratsuka. Muratsuka took one spinning dribble to lose her defender and ripped a shot from the top corner of the box and secured the win for Westfield.
This win finished off Westfield's season 10-4-4 with a 6-1 MASCAC record, which is good for second-place in the MASCAC playoff tournament. The second-place finish secures a first-round bye for the Owls and they will face the winner of the third-seeded Worcester State Lancers and the sixth-seeded Framingham State Rams.
Worcester and Framingham face off Wednesday, November 6 at 7:00 p.m. in Worcester. The winner will make their way to Westfield on Friday, November 6 at 1:00 p.m. to take on the Owls.