Women's Soccer earns sixth seed, will battle #3 Bridgewater State tomorrow at 3pm
WESTFIELD, Mass. -- The Framingham State Rams women's soccer team has earned the top seed in the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference Championship which begins with the quarterfinal rounds on Tuesday November 5 and continues on with semifinals Friday November 8 before concluding with the championship game Sunday November 10.
Earning a first round bye in this week's tournament, Framingham State and Westfield State await the winners of the quarterfinal round on Tuesday. Third-seeded Bridgewater State hosts sixth-seeded MCLA at 3 p.m. while fourth-seeded Worcester State entertains fifth-seeded Salem State at 7 p.m. Framingham State will play the winner of Worcester State/Salem State at 2 p.m. on Friday in Framingham, Mass. Westfield State will take on the victor of Bridgewater State/MCLA at 7 p.m. Friday night in Westfield, Mass. Semifinal winners will meet in the championship game on Sunday which will be hosted by the highest remaining seed.
Framingham State finished the regular season with 13 wins and a 6-0-1 undefeated record in the MASCAC. The duo of Kayla Austin and Marisa Parent were a dominant force for the Rams this season. Parent finished with 18 goals and four assists for 40 points while Austin had 13 goals and assists for 39 points. Goalie Sara Sullivan had 10 wins, including five shutouts and a 0.80 goals against average.
Last season's regular and conference tournament champion Westfield State concluded the season with 10 wins and a 5-2 conference record. Junior Sarah Sypek, a member of the 2012 All-Conference team, netted 12 goals and two assists for 26 points. Amanda Grant had six goals and assists for 18 points.
Bridgewater State concluded the season with nine wins and a 3-2-2 mark in the MASCAC. Junior forward Erica Jonasson leads the Bears with 29 points on 14 goals and an assist. Teammate Mackenzie Hatfield added seven goals and assists of her own for 22 points. Worcester State locked down the four seed with six wins and a 3-2-2 conference record. Alicia Macomber was a driving force offensively for the Lancers with eight goals and two assists on the year. Shelby Archer finished with four goals and seven assists for 15 points.
Earning the final two spots in the conference tournament are Salem State and MCLA. Salem State finished with seven victories and a 3-3-1 mark in the MASCAC. Sophomore Leah Wood had seven goals and an assist for 15 points while teammate Amy Griffith netted four goals and three assists for 11. MCLA rounds out the tournament field with eight wins and a 3-4 conference record. Freshman Natalie Caney led the Trailblazers with 17 goals and two assists for a staggering 36 points.
During the 2012 championship, Westfield State blanked Bridgewater State 2-0 to earn the conference title and a spot in the NCAA tournament.