Bio

Recent Highlights:

2025: Coach Brown brought the program to historic heights in her third season, shattering the program’s all-time win record by posting an 18-4 mark, topping the previous record that her team compiled last season. The Owls advanced into the NCAA Tournament for a second straight season after claiming the MASCAC Championship title, 4-2 over Worcester State. Brown fronted an Owls team that recorded an astounding 16-game winning streak and set a new high mark in goals scored in program history with 76. At the end of the season, she was named the BSN Sports Coach of the Year and helped guide a pair of Owls athletes to major conference awards; Emma Gniadek who was named the MASCAC Defensive Player of the Year and Caroline Andrade who earned the MASCAC Rookie of the Year. Six Owls players were recognized as part of the 2025 league’s all-conference teams. Brown has now improved on her win total in each of the last three seasons, raising the bar for the future outlook of the program.

2024: In her second season leading the Owls field hockey program, Brown guided Westfield State to the MASCAC Championship game, defeating Bridgewater State 2-1 to secure the program’s first championship title since the program’s inaugural season in 1969, defeating Bridgewater State 2-1 to advance into the NCAA Tournament for the first time since the 1981 season. Brown also set an historic winning season for the Owls, securing 13 wins which topped the previous record of 12 which Brown also accomplished in her first season at the helm of the program. Westfield lost an NCAA First Round game against #8-ranked Shenandoah to conclude what was a successful season for the Owls. Four Owls athletes earned all-conference honors this season with senior Abby Clark and Kaleigh Murphy earning first team honors while juniors Shannon Gover and Erin Lane placed on the second team.

2023: Serving as head coach of the Owls program for her first season, Brown delivered positive results for the team, tying the winningest season in program history by collecting 12 wins. The Owls earned the second overall seed entering the MASCAC Tournament after closing the season by winning 10 of their last 11 regular season games. Westfield fell in a thrilling double overtime game against Framingham State in the league semifinals. Senior defender Morgan Wichmann was named to the MASCAC All-Conference first team while seniors Bre Foley and Emily Martin captured second team honors.

About Coach Brown:

WESTFIELD, Mass.  –   Carden (Maloney) Brown has been named as field hockey coach and coordinator of intramural sports at Westfield State University Director of Athletics Richard Lenfest, Jr. announced on Thursday, May 18, 2023.

Brown served as an assistant coach for the Owls during the 2022 season.

What stood out in Carden’s interview was her vision for the team, her enthusiasm, and her overseas experience,” said Lenfest.  “She’s organized, really wanted to be part of the Owls and will be a good mentor for our student athletes.”

She will lead a comprehensive intramural program at Westfield State that offers approximately 25 sports and activities annually, a program that will be bolstered by the completed renovation of the Parenzo Gymnasium in the fall, which will expand the program’s indoor offerings.

Brown helped lead the Owls to a 10-9 record and an appearance in the Little East Conference Tournament alongside former Owls head coach Jessica Bergen, who left Westfield State after 11 seasons this spring to accept the head coaching position at Trinity College.

Brown assisted in all aspects of the program, including training plans, game management and strategy and recruiting.

Brown played four years of field hockey as an undergraduate at Clark University in Worcester, Mass., as a midfielder and forward, and served as a team captain during her senior year. As a junior she was the second-leading scorer on the Cougars’ roster with nine goals.

After graduating from Clark in 2021, she spent a year studying abroad at Ulster University in Belfast, Northern Ireland, where she played in the Ulster Premier League as part of the Ulster Elks team that won the Intervarsity Championship in Dublin.

She also coached Ulsters Co-Ed Field Hockey program and is a USA Field Hockey coach member.

She holds a bachelor of arts degree in Political Science from Clark and a LLM Masters of Law from Ulster University.