Cretella leads Westfield State women’s lacrosse into MASCAC tourney semifinals

Westfield State senior Emma Cretella leads the MASCAC regular season champions into the semifinal round of the tournament, where it will host Worcester State. Cretella, a former St. Paul standout, was recently named MASCAC Player of the Week. (Copyright, Sports on CT-69, file)

The Westfield State University women’s lacrosse team earned the top seed in the upcoming Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference, and they have a former local standout leading the way.

Reigning MASCAC Player of the Week Emma Cretella scored a team-high 52 goals and tallied 19 assists during the regular season. Cretella, a senior and criminal justice major, registered a point in each of the 17 games played (team-high 71 total), and she had a team-best 57 draw controls.

Here was where the former St. Paul standout was ranked in the MASCAC in several offensive categories at the end of the regular season: tied for second in goals (52); tied for second in points (71); fifth in shots (99); and fifth in shots on goal (81).

Cretella tallied 12 points (6 goals, 6 assists), three ground balls and two caused turnovers over the past week to help Westfield State clinch the regular season title and top seed in the tournament. The Owls will host No. 4 Worcester State in a MASCAC semifinal on Thursday at 7 p.m.