The following announcement was provided by Westfield State Athletics:
Earlier this week, Westfield State first-year forward Caroline Andrade (Watertown, Mass./Watertown HS) was named as the National Field Hockey Coaches Association’s national Offensive Player of the Week for NCAA Division III for the week ending October 5.
Andrade tallied five goals and three assists in a 3-0 week for the Owls, and has been a major factor in the Owls current eight-game winning streak.
“I was excited,” said Andrade, on learning of the award. “But I think it’s’ really about the team connecting, more of a team effort and seeing passes.”
Andrade missed the first six games of the 2025 season for the Owls when an injury she suffered during high school basketball flared up before the start of the season.
Andrade came off the bench in her first two games in the lineup for the Owls, scoring shootout in a overtime win against Johnson and Wales before being inserted into the starting lineup.
“I was a little rough and rusty at first, and it was difficult not knowing exactly how my teammates played even though I had been watching all season,” said Andrade.
That connectivity heated up last week, Andrade connected for two goals and an assist in Westfield’s 5-4 road win over Bridgewater State, added a goal and an assist in a 4-1 win over Western Connecticut, and added two goals, including the first of the game in what proved to be a 9-0 Owls win over Salem State. She was also named the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Week and the league’s Rookie of the Week for her efforts.
Andrade came to Westfield State after a historic run with the Watertown High School program, where she was part of four-straight D3 State Championships and a 97-game winning streak.
Andrade said she came to Westfield State largely because of the Nursing major, and wasn’t initially sure if she would play field hockey, but was convinced by teammate Morgan Beirne, a senior on the Owls’ squad who’s also from Watertown.
“I just really like the sport,” said Andrade, who also played basketball, ice hockey and softball while in high school.”
Andrade credits her time playing ice hockey to her deft stick-handling on the field hockey field, and said the best part of her Westfield State experience so far has simply been meeting her teammates – “they’re pretty much all my friends.”
While she’s only seven games into her collegiate career, Andrade and the Owls are off to a fast start with a 10-3 overall record and a 6-0 mark in the MASCAC.
Andrade said her goal for the rest of the season would be “To win the MASCAC again and have a chance to go to the NCAA tournament. Where did they go last year … Virginia ? (for the tournament game) … that would be fun.