4 hours Ago By Brendan Connelly
WESTWOOD – After a dynastic run, it can take a while to find success again. The Westwood girls lacrosse team simply finds new ways to reload. Senior captains Caroline Nozzolillo (four goals, two assists) and Charlotte DeMaio (hat trick) propelled things offensively, as the hometown Wolverines (8-0) kept their perfect season intact with a thrilling 12-10 victory over Concord-Carlisle.
“We’ve been working really hard,” said Westwood coach Margot Spatola. “We have a lot of kids who are either playing a different position, filling in, or putting themselves out there. I credit our senior class for getting everyone prepared.
They are working really, really hard, holding those high expectations and those high standards. I think it’s a testament to the work that they’ve put in outside of the season. We have pretty good team chemistry as well, so I think that helps.
” In the latest Boston Herald girls lacrosse rankings, Westwood had surged to No. 2 overall. Meanwhile, Concord-Carlisle (4-1) was right behind in sixth.
Pundits were expecting a barn-burner, and that is precisely what transpired as the teams combined for nine goals in the first quarter alone. After Karleigh Mutch provided Concord-Carlisle a 2-1 lead with just over eight minutes to go in the opening frame, Westwood answered with three straight tallies. DeMaio got things started, before Emma FitzPatrick and Cecelia Thurmond followed suit with goals of their own as the Wolverines jumped ahead, 4-2.
While they were challenged throughout, they were able to maintain things from there with a 5-4 lead after one quarter. In the second quarter, Mirak netted her third goal with 1:37 left in the half, as Concord-Carlisle drew within 7-6. However, Cassidy McMillin beat the horn with a last-second shot and Westwood held an 8-6 advantage at the half.
When the game started, fans were enjoying beach weather with 70-degree temperatures. But soon dark clouds enveloped the field and by the midpoint of the third quarter, torrential downpours began to fall. Rather than packing it in, Westwood closed strong, with DeMaio at the helm.
The senior scored two of the Wolverines goals in the second half, sealing the latest win for her squad. “I’m just reminding myself that everyone feels the same way (about the weather),” DeMaio laughed afterward. “Everyone is thinking the same thing, so I just have to work harder than everyone else, and (it works out).
” Thurmond also finished with a hat trick for Westwood by game’s end. Mirak and Mutch netted four goals apiece to guide Concord-Carlisle. “We hope we approach (these games) the way we approach our practices,” Spatola said.
“Going hard, and pushing each other, keeping things clean. We’ve been talking about taking care of the little things, maybe the things that aren’t in the stat book, necessarily. So, I think that approach is what helps us.
That composure, they hold each other accountable in practice. I think that helps to prepare us for game day.”.
