Women’s Lacrosse Meets Cortland State in First Round of NCAA Tournament

WESTFIELD, Mass. – After winning their sixth MASCAC Championship in the last seven seasons, the Westfield State University women's lacrosse team returns to the NCAA Tournament to face Cortland State in a first-round game from Tufts University on Saturday at 1:00 P.M. The winner advances into the second round of the tournament to take on fourth-ranked Tufts on Sunday at 1:00 P.M.

The Owls (12-7) earned an automatic qualifying bid into the NCAA Tournament after defeating Framingham State 11-6 on the road for their second straight conference championship title. The Red Dragons (14-4) defeated Geneseo 14-7 in the State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) title game to clinch the league's automatic qualifying bid.

Recent Tournament History

The two teams will be meeting one another for the first time with both appearing in last year's tournament field as well. Westfield lost a first-round matchup to Babson College, 23-8 while Cortland dropped a second-round contest against Tufts, 24-10.

Common Opponents

The lone common opponent on the schedule between the two teams is Skidmore with the Owls defeating the Thoroughbreds 17-13. Cortland also picked up an 11-10 overtime win against Skidmore in the regular season opener.

Against the Tournament Field

Westfield holds an 0-2 record against the tournament field, losing to ninth-ranked Colby College and Springfield College at home during the season. All four of Cortland's losses this season have come against tournament opponents as the Red Dragons are 0-4 against the field which included a narrow overtime loss to current #8 Ithaca College.

Soaring into the Tournament

Westfield enters the NCAA Tournament for the second consecutive season and the sixth time in program history. The Owls are in search of their first tournament win since the 2018 season where the Owls secured first-round victories in back-to-back seasons, the most recent being a 17-12 win against Morrisville State in 2018.

The Owls won four of their last five games down the stretch, regrouping as a unit after losing 2023 Offensive Player of the Year Emma Cretella (Cheshire, Conn.) to an injury early in the season.

The Owls possess a balanced offensive attack heading into the tournament with eight different players recording 30 or more points on the season, led by MASCAC All-Conference First Team selection Kiely Hafensteiner (Niskayuna, N.Y.) who has collected a team-high 56 points on 20 goals and 36 assists.

Megan Bailey (Quincy, Mass.) leads Westfield with 44 goals scored and is second in points with 52 and was named the MASCAC Tournament MVP while also securing a spot on the All-Conference First Team.

First-Team All-Conference attacker Natalie DeMaio (Westwood, Mass.) is second on the Owls with 38 goals. After missing time during the middle of the season due to injury, graduate student Kylie Buchanan (Westfield, Mass.) closed the tournament with a scoring flurry, tallying 15 goals over the last three games. She is third on the team with 37 goals in 14 games played.

On defense, Westfield is anchored by a pair of MASCAC Defensive Player of the Year recipients in Victoria Paine (Dudley, Mass.) and Olivia Hadla (Westfield, Mass.). Paine, this year's conference Defensive Player of the Year, has collected 41 ground balls and 20 caused turnovers this season. Hadla, the league's 2023 top defensive player, has generated 12 caused turnovers while scooping up 12 ground balls.

The Owls received strong goaltending from All-Conference First Teamer Kara Banagan (Niskayuna, N.Y.). Banagan led the MASCAC with a 51.1 save percentage and allowed the fewest goals in the conference at 94 as the Owls held opponents to an 11.30 goals against average on the season.

Fire-Breathing Dragons

The Red Dragons caught fire down the stretch, riding a 12-game winning streak into the NCAA Tournament. Cortland, who are currently receiving votes in the Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches' Association (IWLCA) top 20 poll, glided through the SUNYAC conference with a 9-0 record, doubling up Geneseo in the league's championship game to clinch their 26^th NCAA Tournament appearance.

In 2022, the Red Dragons won two NCAA games to reach the sweet 16, and advanced to at least the National Semifinals in a six-year stretch from 2011-16 which included a National Championship victory in 2015.

Cortland holds a +126-goal differential and are led by graduate attacker Rachel Janis (Laurel, N.Y.) who led the SUNYAC with 70 assists and a team-high 83 points. Senior attacker Toni Cashman (East Moriches, N.Y.) was second in the SUNYAC with 68 goals and is second on the Red Dragons with 81 points.

In net, sophomore Margaret Morgan (New Fairfield, Conn.) has started all 18 games for Cortland, posting a 14-4 record with an 8.00 goals against average and a 44.7 save percentage.

Tufts' Road to the Tournament

The Jumbos sit as the fourth-ranked team in the IWLCA top 20 poll, holding a 14-3 overall record and an 8-2 mark in the NESCAC. Tufts held a 10-3 record against ranked opponents on the year, losing in the NESCAC Semifinals to third-ranked Wesleyan University, receiving an at-large bid into the NCAA Tournament. Tufts and Cortland faced each other in the regular season with the Jumbos winning 19-4.

Offensively, the Jumbos are led by Ella Lesperance (Wayland, Mass.) who tops the team with 81 points and 41 assists. Margie Carden (Newton Square, Pa.) is third in the NESCAC with 55 goals.

NCAA Tournament Coverage

Full pregame and postgame coverage of the Owls NCAA Tournament run including video, live stats, ticket information, directions, etc., can be found at WestfieldStateOwls.com and on Tufts tournament central page.