WA Girls’ Lacrosse will advance to the final round of the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA) State Tournament after successfully defeating Wellesley High School 11-10 during a nail-biting game on Wednesday, June 10. The Ghosts will compete against Concord-Carlisle High School at 7:15 p.m. on Thursday, June 12 at Babson College for the state championship title.
“We’re super excited. We’re ready for the next game, onto the finals,” junior captain Evie Weber said. “We’re definitely super happy and proud of this team.”
From the beginning of the first quarter, it was clear that both teams were determined to put up a strong fight. Despite Wellesley winning possession from the initial face-off, sophomore Kiley Carmichael was quick to help senior captain Kassidy Carmichael outmaneuver the opposing team’s defense, sinking a goal within the first two minutes of the game. Four minutes later, she did it again, bringing WA to an early lead of 2-1.
Wellesley’s offensive players made long runs down the sides of the field, but they were met by relentless defenders like junior Sarah Haley and sophomore goalie Ava Preysnar. However, Wellesley gained their footing, scoring three goals and taking the lead. WA scored once more with only a few seconds left, and the first quarter ended with Wellesley leading 4-3.
At the opening of the second quarter, WA won the face-off and sophomore Mia Cullen, freshman Grace Trahan, and Weber maintained steady passing around Wellsley’s net. With a quick run from the right wing, Kassidy Carmichael managed to evade defenders and score twice more, putting WA ahead 6-4. By the end of the first half, WA had officially reclaimed their lead 6-5.
Wellesley came into the third quarter with renewed energy, pummeling downfield and ultimately regaining their lead 7-6. In response, WA called a timeout to revamp the team’s strategy. Coming off the sidelines, Kiley Carmichael recognized a lapse in Wellesley’s defense and took the opportunity to score.
With about six minutes left on the clock, Wellesley players began to make some aggressive cuts that led to penalties, only increasing the momentum of the game. After a plethora of foul balls, the plays were concentrated around the teams’ nets for longer periods of time, emphasizing heavy communication on the offensive line. At the end of the third quarter, Wellesley continued to lead 9-7.
In the fourth quarter, both spirits and tensions were high. Senior captain Erin Keefe acted as the heartbeat of WA’s defense, working to combat Wellesley’s long sprints downfield. Meanwhile, offensive pressure from junior Olivia Cipriano and Weber allowed WA to increase their score, although they were still trailing behind Wellesley, 9-8.
However, as the clock fell into single digits, Wellesley called a timeout and sprang back with agile footwork and another goal. Meeting this aggression head on, with two minutes left on the clock, WA managed to string together a series of tight passes that ultimately tied the game 10-10.
In these last minutes, the entire stadium was on the edge of their seats. The stands roared with supporting students and spectators, but failed to distract the players on the field. With four seconds on the clock, Kassidy Carmichael received the ball off of a foul, charged the net with opposing players on both sides, and threw the ball straight to the top right corner of the net. Her team charged the field as the Ghosts’ victory sank in, prevailing with a final score of 11-10.
“It was a very exciting win. Very similar to the game against Lincoln-Sudbury where it’s back and forth,” head coach Julie Olivier said. “Kassidy Carmichael, she doesn’t give up. The whole rest of the team, too.”
Despite a persistently close game throughout all four quarters, the captains reflected that their experience under pressure helped them to maintain a competitive position in games.
“Honestly, I think coming off of our losses this year, we’ve definitely learned a lot,” Keefe said. “And I think coming off the loss to Chelmsford right before the playoffs put us on this run in the playoffs. And we just came off a really close game at LS, and so we’re used to coming back and playing really tight games.”
WA’s victory marks the first time the girls’ lacrosse team has made it to the state finals, warranting an outpour of support from the community as students plan to fill the bleachers with a fan bus provided by the school.
“[At the] final game we definitely want to work as hard as we can. We’re going to do the same thing that we’ve done for these past games and just not let down,” Kassidy Carmichael said. “The [game is] going to have ups and downs, we just can’t let [it stay] down at any point.”
