By Jim Fenton
BRIDGEWATER, Mass. -- The defending champion Bridgewater State University women's soccer team opens the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference tournament against a familiar opponent.
For the fifth straight tourney, the Bears' first game is against Fitchburg State University, this time in the quarterfinal round on Wednesday at 7 p.m. at Mazzaferro Field.
BSU defeated the Falcons in 2021, 2023 and 2024 and lost to Fitchburg State as the No. 2 seed in 2022.
The Bears are the No. 3 seed this season after going 5-1-2 in the MASCAC while the Falcons (3-12-3) are the No. 6 seed with a 2-4-2 conference record.
BSU won its first MASCAC tourney title since 2013 a year ago, defeating Fitchburg State, 3-1, and Westfield State, 3-2, for a trip to the NCAA Division III tournament.
The Bears (5-7-4) will be shorthanded in the MASCAC tourney with their top two point producers likely sidelined.
Senior forward Olivia Robarge (Pepperell, Mass.) suffered an injury in the regular-season finale at Framingham on Saturday.
Robarge leads BSU with eight goals and 18 points and is tied for sixth on the all-time list for goals with 30.
Senior midfielder Jenna Sweeney (Wilmington, Mass.) has been sidelined due to an illness. She is second with four goals and 11 points.
Both Robarge and Sweeney made the All-MASCAC first team in 2024 and were on the all-conference second team as sophomores.
"They've been unbelievable for us," said coach Yasmina Carvalho. "It's tough.
"We have an uphill battle to climb. But the rest of the team has shown some really great progression and we can definitely rely on those people to step up to the plate and bring us home to where we want to be."
Worcester State is the No. 1 seed for the first time since 2018 and has a bye along with second-seeded Westfield State.
Fourth-seeded Salem State hosts fifth-seeded Framingham State in Wednesday's other game, and the semifinal round will take place on Friday night.
The Bears are fourth in the MASCAC, allowing 28 goals. Senior goalkeeper Logan Levesque (Bristol, R.I.) is having a strong final season with 99 saves and six shutouts.
Levesque is tied for the BSU career lead in shutouts (24) with Lauren DeSousa, has played the most games by a Bears' goalkeeper (65) and ranks second with 35 victories.
"It's huge," said Carvalho of having an experienced keeper like Levesque to rely on. "Logan is definitely the reason we've been so successful in the conference. She showed up in some really tough games, like Fitchburg, Worcester, Westfield and Salem, making top-notch saves.
"It's hard to say she'll be graduating."
BSU scored only 30 goals in 16 games this season and will have to increase production in the absence of Robarge and Sweeney.
Junior Natalie Mattos (Fairhaven, Mass.) has four goals and two assists, junior Caroline McCormack (East Bridgewater) has three goals and four assists and senior Abigail Shea (Somerset, Mass.) has three goals and an assist.
The Bears' lone conference loss was on Oct. 4 to Worcester State with the ties coming against Westfield State and Fitchburg State.
"They're definitely a team that has physical strength and have this grit and grind to win," said Carvalho of the Falcons. "They do a very good job of making teams work hard for a win.''
BSU outshot Fitchburg State, 25-6, and had a 14-3 edge in shots on goal in the scoreless tie last month.
The Falcons are led by senior Adrianna Westcott (Sayreville, N.J.) with six goals and three assists for 15 points.
Fitchburg State scored only 17 goals in 18 games, allowing 32.
The Bears' roster includes 18 players from the '24 MASCAC championship team, and that experience will be a positive in the postseason.
"I think especially for the 18 players who experienced the thrill of playing in the tournament and all the nerves, it'll help big time," said Carvalho. "I'm hoping having that experience will translate to keeping our nerves in check and sticking to the game plan."