Women’s Soccer Trio Receives Conference Weekly Awards
MASCAC Tournament MVP Julia Robak was joined by Olivia Crooks and Liv DeMember in the MASCAC’s weekly honors for this past week.
WESTFIELD, Mass. – Westfield State seniors' Olivia Crooks (Wilbraham, Mass.) and Julia Robak (Chicopee, Mass.), and first-year Liv DeMember (West Boylston, Mass.) earned MASCAC Player of the Week honors this past week after the Owls secured the 2025 conference championship with a road win at Worcester State.
Crooks was named the MASCAC Offensive Player of the Week after scoring the biggest goal of the season for the Owls, the lone goal of the title match which sent Westfield into the NCAA Tournament with a 1-0 win against the Lancers. On the Owls first shot attempt of the second half, Crooks made a sensational sliding challenge on the ball, getting a touch on it before a Worcester defender could gain possession. The shot deflected into the goal, serving as the game-winning marker.
For Crooks, the goal was the second she has scored on the season, adding two assist to a six-point total.
Robak received the MASCAC Defensive Player of the Week and the MASCAC Tournament MVP after pitching two shutouts with eight saves and a 1.000 save percentage to lead the Owls to a MASCAC Tournament championship. She made four saves in the semifinal home victory against Bridgewater State, then stopped four shots on goal in the title game, none more spectacular than the save she recorded with eight to play in the title game, diving to her left to bat away a well-placed shot which would have tied the match.
On the season, Robak has registered nine wins in net and seven shutouts. In 17 starts, Robak has a miniscule 0.67 goals against average and an .861 save percentage, leading the MASCAC in both categories. As a defense, the Owls have shut out their last four opponents and have ten shutouts on the season. In conference play, Westfield allowed just two goals across ten league matches.
DeMember was named the MASCAC Rookie of the Week after making an impact in both tournament triumphs last week. She notched an assist on the Owls game-winning goal in the conference semifinals, then was responsible for crossing the ball into the box which set up the winning strike by Crooks.
The first-year forward has been a welcomed source of offense for the Owls this season, leading a balanced scoring attack with four goals while adding five assists for a team-high 13 points.
Westfield State won their fourth MASCAC title in the last five seasons and 11th overall in program history under the leadership of Owls head coach Todd Ditmar. The Owls will now enter NCAA Tournament play, visiting 12th ranked Middlebury College in a first round match on Saturday at 11:00 A.M.