Curran Tallies Twice to Send Owls to Title Game
Westfield Will Host Worcester State on Saturday at 12 noon on Alumni Field to decide the conference championship
WESTFIELD, Mass. - Westfield State University first-year forward Kacey Curran (Fall River, Mass./Durfee) tipped in a pair of goals to lift top-seeded Westfield State to a 2-0 win over #6 Framingham State in the semifinals of the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference semifinals at Alumni Field on Thursday night.
Westfield advances to Saturday's championship game, which they will host at Alumni Field at 12:00 noon, facing #4 Worcester State, a 2-1 overtime winner over #2 Bridgewater in the other semifinal tonight.
Westfield's win was their 15th straight, extending their school-record run, and the Owls improve to 17-3 overall this season, also extending their program record for wins in a season.
Curran was in the right spot at the right time twice, giving the Owls a 1-0 lead in the 11th minute of play as she tipped in the loose rebound of a Caroline Andrade (Watertown, Mass.) shot at the right post.
Westfield pounded away at the Framingham cage with 14 shots in the first half, but couldn't get an insurance goal before the break.
Finally, the Owls extended the lead in the 41st minute, when Curran redirected a blast from Owls' senior Kaleigh Murphy (Pembroke, Mass.) into the back of the cage for a 2-0 Owls lead.
The assist for Murphy gave her the 100th point of her career, just the fourth Owl to reach that figure, and moved Murphy into sole possession of fourth place on the Owls career scoring list.
Westfield needed just one save from senior goalkeeper Emma Gniadek (Worcester, Mass./Doherty) to preserve the win. Westfield outshot the Rams 29-3 in the game, and had a 19-1 advantage in penalty corners.
Framingham got a strong effort from Kaitlyn Tello (Nashua, N.H./South) in goal, as she made 19 saves in the game. The Rams season comes to an end at 5-15.
Westfield will be looking for a second-straight MASCAC title on Saturday. The Owls won the 2024 title with a 2-1 win over Bridgewater State. The winner of Saturday's title tilt will earn the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III national tournament.
Westfield and Worcester have met twice previously this season, with Owls taking a pair of 2-1 decisions, winning in regulation time at home and in overtime at Worcester.
Kaleigh Murphy (22) celebrates the 100th point of her career with her teammates in the Owls 2-0 win over Framingham State in the MASCAC semifinals on Nov. 6, 2025.
