WESTFIELD — As the Westfield State women’s soccer team gears up for another Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference run this season, the Owls will look for seasoned veterans to lead the team to victories. Saugus native Michaela St. Cyr, a St. Mary’s product, is certainly one of those veteran players the Owls can lean on as the key matchups on Westfield’s schedule approach.
Last fall, St. Cyr’s junior season and first year as a starter, the Owls finished the regular season at 8-7-3 but got the bulk of their wins in conference play as Westfield went 5-1-1 against MASCAC opponents. Westfield’s season came to a tough close when the Owls lost in the MASCAC Tournament semifinals on penalty kicks to Bridgewater State.
After a strong showing in conference play last season, St. Cyr, now a team captain in her senior year, and the Owls came into 2017 confident that they can take things one step further.
“Winning MASCAC was our main goal,” St. Cyr said. “We were predicted to finish third this year because of how we finished last season. We have a lot of talented incoming transfers and freshmen who’ll help our team. Hopefully we’ll make it past the first round of NCAAs. I think we have a really good chance.”
In her days wearing the St. Mary’s uniform, St. Cyr was a four-year varsity player for coach Jim Foley and the Spartans. Playing in a competitive conference like the Catholic Central League gave St. Cyr a solid indication of what the college game would look like.
“The coaching was amazing,” St. Cyr, a sports medicine and movement science major, said. “Coach Foley was like a father figure to all of us on the team. We were all like a family, and that was good to have. We were all really close.
“I definitely felt prepared when I came to Westfield,” St. Cyr, a forward, added. “The teams we played against at St. Mary’s were very physical. We played tough teams like Bishop Fenwick. The CCL helped a lot because there were so many physical teams. I feel that I was really well prepared for the physicality in college because of the competition I played against at St. Mary’s.”
Coming into her senior season, St. Cyr’s main goal was to hold onto the starting role she earned last fall and make the most of it. She also made it a priority to contribute with as many goals as possible.
“In my first few seasons, I didn’t get much playing time,” St. Cyr said. “Last year was my first year as a starter. My goal was to remain as a starter for the season and score as many goals as possible. Getting on the board is huge.”
In six games of action this season, St. Cyr has scored three goals while tallying 11 shots on net. The senior forward ranks third on the team in points with six, second in goals and fourth in shots on goal.
“She takes command on the field,” Owls coach Todd Ditmar said. “She’s very vocal. She knows her position very well and she has the ability to be a great example for the younger players. She came in super positive as a freshman and she has built on that and improved over the past three years.”
Aside from giving the Owls offense a boost on the field, St. Cyr also provides leadership qualities off the field as well. While some teams lack veteran leaders who can communicate with their teammates, St. Cyr has covered that need for the Owls.
“She provides great leadership,” Ditmar said. “Some years, you have teams that are missing a player that can lead and communicate with everybody. We don’t have any issues on our team because she’s able to lead everybody. She’s a player that the younger players look up to and she communicates well with the team.”
Thus far, the Owls are 4-4-2 on the 2017 season while winning two of their three conference games. Westfield has seven regular season games remaining, four against MASCAC opponents.
St. Cyr noted that it’ll take a total team effort in order for the Owls to achieve their goal of bringing home a MASCAC championship.
“We need to play together as a team,” St. Cyr said. “It’s not just based on one person. We have amazing players on the team and it’s about how we play together. Players who come off the bench have to be ready to play and keep our pace.
“We’re a very strong defensive and offensive team,” St. Cyr added. “Last year, we weren’t as strong. We had a few injuries. Not all of us knew our positions but I think this year we have a better understanding of our positions. We’re all ready to compete.”
