PREVIEW: Owls Face #9 Univ. Of Mary Washington in NCAA Tournament on Saturday

Westfield State University women's lacrosse will get its toughest test of the year on Saturday, May 11 as the Owls will face #9-ranked University of Mary Washington in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament at Smith Field at Wesleyan University in Middletown, Conn.

Game time on Saturday is at 1:00 p.m.   Ticket prices are $6 for adults, $3 for students with ID, and $2 for children 3-12 years old.    Saturday's winner will advance to face host #8 Wesleyan at 1:00 p.m. on Sunday, May 12.

Westfield (11-9) earned the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference's automatic bid, winning the conference tournament with a 13-12 win over Framingham State University in the title game.

The Owls are making their third straight appearance in the national tournament, and won their opening round game in each of the last two seasons.   This year, the Owls get a much shorter trip, and will play about an hour's drive from campus after traveling to Geneva, N.Y. and Gettysburg, Pa. the last two seasons.

Mary Washington earned one of 11 at-large bids to the tournament. The Eagles bring a 15-4 record into the tournament, with all four losses coming to teams ranked in the top 10 in the nation, including a 12-11 loss to York (Pa.) College in the Capital Athletic Conference semifinals.

Mary Washington is located in Fredericksburg, Virginia, (about an hour's drive from Washington, DC) and is a public college of 4,400 students.

The Eagles are making their 14^th appearance in the NCAAs, and their fourth straight. Mary Washington advanced to the third round last year, before losing to Gettysburg, the eventual national champions.   Mary Washington advanced to the final four in 2001 and 2002.

The Owls bring a veteran squad into the tournament with 10 seniors on the roster.

Westfield is led by senior goalkeeper Maria Woodall (King Phillip/Norfolk, Mass.), who was the 2018 MASCAC player of the Year, a three-time MASCAC Tournament MVP, and a first-team All-MASCAC pick this season.  Woodall brings a .503 save percentage and a 10.25 goals against average into the tournament game.

Woodall is aided by a veteran defensive corps, with seniors Caroline Arket (Pouquag, N.Y.) , Olivia Overdahl (Milford, Mass.), both first team all-conference picks, and senior Shannon Gillis (Norwood, Mass.) .

First-team All-Conference midfielder Sydney Lambert (Hanover, Mass.) is the Owls' leading scorer with 47 goals and 18 assists for 65 points, but offensive versatility is a hallmark for Westfield, as the Owls have nine players with 11 or more goals.

Senior attack Elizabeth Navoni (Mansfield, Mass.) has 43 goals on the year, midfielder Marissa Nimeskern (Hanover, Mass.) has added 29 goals, and Alexa Tonelli (Shrewsbury, Mass.) has added 29 goals and 21 assists.  Junior attack Hayley Rodriguez (Melrose, Mass.) leads the Owls with 21 assists.

Mary Washington comes in averaging better than 14 goals per game, led by 61 from Julia Albert.

Mackenzie Maguire has 35 goals and 57 assists for a team-high 92 points, while Allison Davis and Hope Lockwood have added 37 and 36 goals, respectively.

Hannah Ashby is the primary goalie for the Eagles, with a strong 7.49 goals-against average and a .536 save percentage.