Owls Field Hockey Shares Top Spot In Preseason Poll
The Owls return a solid nucleus for 2025, including leading scorer Kaleigh Murphy who tallied 12 goals and six assists for 30 points
WESTFIELD, Mass. -- Westfield State field hockey shared the top spot in the 2025 Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference preseason coaches' poll, the league announced today.
Westfield, which won the conference tournament to earn the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament in 2024, shared the top spot in the poll with Fitchburg State, which won the league's regular-season title but was upset in the conference tournament semifinals.
Both teams accrued 31 points in the poll, though Fitchburg recorded three first-place votes to the Owls one.
Worcester State was selected third in the poll with 26 points and received one first-place vote, while Bridgewater State was fourth with 24 points but received two first-place votes.
Framingham State, Salem State, and league newcomer Anna Maria College rounded out the poll.
Westfield is coming off an historic season, where the Owls set a school-record for wins with 13, and made the program's second-ever NCAA Tournament bid (and first since 1981) after winning the MASCAC title.
The Owls return a solid nucleus for 2025, including leading scorer Kaleigh Murphy (Pembroke, Mass.), who tallied 12 goals and six assists for 30 points, Erin Lane (Canton, Mass.) added six goals and four assists for 16 points, and senior goalkeeper Emma Gniadek (Worcester, Mass./Doherty), who finished the season with a 2.62 GAA and had five shutouts in the cage – all of which came in conference play.
Westfield will open the 2025 season with a pair of games at the Caryl Newhof Classic tournament at Smith College on August 29 and 30. The Owls open with Gordon College on Friday and will face either UMaine-Farmington or the host Pioneers on Saturday.