Buzzards Bay, Mass.— Westfield State University has earned the top seed in the 2012 Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference Women’s Soccer Championships, which begin with quarterfinal round action on Wednesday, October 31st before moving to semi-final round play on Friday, November 2nd and conclude with the 2012 MASCAC Championship match on Sunday, November 4th.

This year’s championships have expanded from a four-team to a six-team format, as Wednesday’s quarterfinal round will see third-seeded Bridgewater State University host sixth-seeded MCLA at Swenson Field in Bridgewater, Mass. beginning at 5:00 p.m. EDT, while fourth-seeded Framingham State University will host fifth-seeded Salem State University at Maple Street Field in Framingham, Mass. beginning at 2:00 p.m. EDT. The winner of the Framingham State-Salem State match advances to take on top-seeded Westfield State in one semi-final round contest at Alumni Field in Westfield, Mass., while the Bridgewater State-MCLA winner will take on second-seeded Worcester State in the other semi-final match at Coughlin Field in Worcester, Mass., as both of those contests willl begin at 7:00 p.m. EDT. The two semi-final winners will meet for the 2012 MASCAC Championship and an automatic berth in the NCAA Division III Women’s Soccer Championships on Sunday at the site of the highest remaining seed at a time to be determined.

Defending conference tournament champion Westfield State posted a perfect 16-0-1 unbeaten slate (7-0 in MASCAC action) under Head Coach Todd Ditmar, and the Owls are paced in scoring by senior forward Kayley Miller (Ludlow, Mass.), who leads the league with 20 goals and 48 points. Junior Jess Habif (Natick, Mass.) leads Westfield State in goal with a 15-0-1 mark to go with an 0.41 GAA and five shutouts. Worcester State posted an 8-7-2 overall mark and a 5-1-1 conference slate under Head Coach Kevin Cumberbatch, as the Lancers are led in scoring by senior forward Brianne Beckman’s (Lakeville, Mass.) 13 goals and 32 points and in net by freshman Mia Koutoulas’ (Danvers, Mass.) five wins and 57 saves.

Bridgewater State notched an 8-8-2 overall slate (4-2-1 in league play) under Head Coach Lou Verrochi, as freshman forward Mackenzie Hatfield (Whitman, Mass.) leads the Bears in scoring with seven goals and 21 points, while junior Kerry Condon (Whitman, Mass.) has seven wins and a 1.20 GAA in net. Framingham State posted seven victories (4-3 in MASCAC action) under Head Coach Tucker Reynolds, as the Rams are led in scoring by junior midfielder Kayla Austin’s (Winchester, Mass.) nine goals and 26 points. Sophomore McKenzie Vershon (Chicopee, Mass.) has recorded four wins and 44 saves in goal for Framingham State to date.

Salem State posted a 9-5-2 overall mark and a 3-2-2 MASCAC slate under Head Coach Nicolle Wood, and the Vikings are led in scoring by junior Casey Connolly (Nahant, Mass.) and sophomore CeCelia Cresta-Devine (Saugus, Mass.), who each have 14 points to date. Freshman Rachel Ledbetter (Dracut, Mass.) has made 79 saves with four shutouts in goal for Salem State. MCLA rounds out this year’s MASCAC championship field, as the Trailblazers of Head Coach Deb Raber collected seven overall wins and two in league play. Junior midfielder Jennifer Ferrari (Westfield, Mass.) leads MCLA in scoring with 10 goals and 22 points, while sophomore goalie Danielle Heinsohn (Norfolk, Mass.) has posted six shutouts and a 1.85 GAA to date.

Westfield State claimed the 2011 MASCAC crown with a 1-0 victory over Worcester State in the championship match.