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Drury's McGrath Leads Springfield College Offense

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Drury High graduate Kayla McGrath has a team-high eight goals for the Springfield College women's soccer team this fall.
 
Last week, she scored both Pride goals in a 2-0 win over Wellesley.
 
McGrath's two game-winning goals this season is currently seventh in the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference.
 
She has played 29 games and has 10 starts over the last two seasons for Springfield, which was 8-4-5 overall (6-2-3 in the NEWMAC) in the regular season and opens the conference tournament on Tuesday against Smith.
 
Westfield State senior Michaella Moncecchi (Wahconah) has appeared in three games with one start in goal for the Owls, stopping six shots while allowing a pair of goals. Westfield State (11-6-1) plays in the MASCAC semi-finals on Friday.
 
At Salem State, Mount Everett graduates Huda Ngoy Nkulu and Maggie Sarnacki have helped the Vikings to a 3-4 MASCAC record this fall. Ngoynkulu has one goal in 15 games, and Sarnacki has appeared in six games for Salem State, which finishes the regular season on Tuesday at home against Fitchburg State.
 
Caleb Besaw appeared in 10 games this fall and had two starts for the Castleton State men's soccer team. The Drury High grad and college junior was credited with two shots for the Spartans (4-11-3).
 
Lenox Memorial graduate Dennis Love just missed out on scoring for the Marist men's cross country team at the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Championships on Saturday.
 
Love, a first-year runner for the Red Foxes, placed 52nd among 126 finishers at the event, covering the 8-kilometer course in 27 minutes, 13.2 seconds.
 
Earlier this year, Love was Marist's fifth finisher, helping the team to a 27th-place showing out of 34 teams at the IC4A Championships at Van Cortlandt Park in New York City.
 
Williams College sophomore and Mount Greylock graduate Kate Swann finished 45th at last weekend's NESCAC Championships, where Williams won a fourth straight league title.
 
McKenzie LaBier has 75 kills this fall for the Bay Path University volleyball team. The 2023 Wahconah graduate also has 26 solo blocks for the Wildcats (11-10) who play at MCLA on Wednesday.
 
Lee High graduate Kylie Joyce has appeared in seven matches for the Westfield State vollebyall team this fall. The Owls' sophomore had season highs for kills (five) and digs (seven) in a win over Elms College on Oct. 3. Westfield State (8-17) hosts Eastern Connecticut State on Tuesday.
 
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Community Hero: Noelle Howland

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff

Noelle Howland is committed to keeping alive the late Pittsfield ACO Eleanor Sonsini's mission of helping animals ... albeit farther north in North Adams.
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — No Paws Left Behind Executive Director Noelle Howland has been selected as the November Community Hero of the Month. 
 
The Community Hero of the Month series honors individuals and organizations that have made a significant impact in their community. The series sponsor, Haddad Auto, has extended this initiative for one more month.
 
Howland breathed new life into the mission of the former Eleanor Sonsini Animal Shelter, which closed in August 2023. 
 
The shelter in Pittsfield operated under the mission established by Eleanor Sonsini, a local animal rights activist and longtime animal control officer in Pittsfield, to be a no-kill shelter committed to finding surrendered and abandoned pets new forever homes. 
 
Howland's love for animals, dedication to their well-being, and expertise in animal behavior and training and shelter management brought this mission to new heights at No Paws Left Behind, a new shelter for dogs located at 69 Hodges Cross Road. 
 
"I want people to understand that I know it's hard to surrender. So, my biggest thing is [making sure] people know that, of course, we're not judging you. We're here to help you," Howland said. 
 
When Sonsini announced its closing, Howland, who was the shelter's manager, worked to save it, launching fundraising initiatives. However, the previous board decided to close the shelter down and agreed to let Howland open her own shelter using their mission. 
 
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