WESTFIELD, Mass. – Seniors Emma Cretella (Cheshire, Conn./St. Paul's) and Cassidy Connolly (Woburn, Mass.) registered six points each for Westfield State as the top-seeded Owls powered away for a 21-10 win over #4 Worcester State in the semifinals of the 2023 Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference women's lacrosse tournament at Alumni Field on Thursday evening.
Westfield State is now 13-5 overall and has won 10 consecutive games, the second-longest win streak in school history. Worcester State's season comes to a close with a 10-8 record.
Westfield jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the opening minute of the game, with Nicole Rinkus (Pembroke, Mass.) scoring on a feed from Victoria Paras (Medford, Mass.) just 18 seconds into the game, then after a Worcester State yellow card, Cretella fired a high laser under the crossbar on the ensuing extra-attacker situation.
Connolly added the Owls' third goal with 7:46 left in the first quarter to stake the Owls to a 3-0 lead and force a Lancers time out
Clare Conway (Billerica, Mass.) took the lid off the goal for Worcester State when Hannah Erickson (Dunstable, Mass.) fed her near the top of the fan with 2:20 left in the first quarter. Westfield led 3-2 at the end of the first quarter.
Westfield piled it on in the second quarter, scoring the first seven goals of the period including a spectacular leaping quick-stick goal from a fully-outstretched Megan Bailey (Quincy, Mass.) that made it 7-2 on a feed from Emma Prattson (Tolland, Conn.) with 9:26 left in the quarter.
The Owls' lead burgeoned to as many as eight goals at 10-2, but Worcester answered with three consecutive goals of their own, capped by back-to-back goals from McKayla Fisher (Peabody, Mass.) with 1:59 left in the half to keep the Lancers' in touch with the Owls.
Westfield wasn't done, netting back to back markers in the final minute with Paras and Cretella credited to give the Owls a 12-5 lead at the half.
Westfield's Prattson ripped a shot off a feed from Connolly to get the lead to 16-6 to get to running-clock time with 9:19 left in the third quarter
Conway scored as time expired in the third quarter to cut the Owls lead to 19-7, but Westfield maintained it's advantage and went into a stall late.
Molly Witkowski (Port Jervis, N.Y.) scored with six seconds left in regulation for the Lancers for the final 21-10 margin.
The Owls were led by four goals and two assists from Cretella and three goals and three assists from Connolly. Prattson added three goals and two assists, and Cassidy Harvey (Niskayuna, N.Y.) added four goals.
Westfield held a commanding 35-25 advantage in total shots, and a 21-11 margin in ground balls.
Westfield's Kara Banagan (Niskayuna, NY) made 10 saves in goal, while Savanna Rosado (Milford, Mass.) finished with nine for Worcester State.
Worcester got three goals and an assist from Fisher, and two goals and an assist from Conway.
Westfield will host #3 Framingham State (12-7) in the league's championship game on Saturday on noon at Alumni Field. The Rams scored a mild upset over #2 Bridgewater (10-8) by a 15-8 score tonight.
The Owls will be seeking their fifth MASCAC tournament title, having won in 2017-19 and in 2021.
Spectators for Saturday are advised to arrive early as they may encounter additional traffic due to multiple events in Westfield, and should expect that portions of Western Avenue will be closed between 12:30 and 2 p.m. due to the Run Westfield road race.