A clutch closer, Kassidy Carmichael is the catalyst for a Westford girls' lacrosse team racking up goals
The catalyst is senior captain
Kassidy Carmichael
(58 goals, 79 points, 80 percent draw-control rate), a force with 500 career points who is committed to play both ice hockey and lacrosse at Ohio State.
Her experience playing for the US Under-18 women's national team, and scoring two goals in the gold medal match win in 2024, has translated to her readiness in clutch moments on the field.
Advertisement
'I always loved [
Jonathan
]
Papelbon
,' Westford coach
Julie Olivier
said of the former Red Sox shutdown closer. '[Kassidy] to me is sort of that closer. She doesn't crumble under pressure; she actually gets better.'
Get Starting Point
A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday.
Enter Email
Sign Up
Her poise was on display in a 15-13 win at league rival Concord-Carlisle, an opponent the Ghosts hadn't beaten in at least six years. On a rainy day that prompted a half-hour delay, Carmichael notched two goals in the final minute to give the Ghosts the victory, capping an eight-goal, 17-draw control night.
'Coach had me explain how to keep your composure in big situations,' Carmichael said. 'So we talked about what we needed to work on and came up with a game plan.'
Concord-Carlisle was the team's toughest challenge yet, but the Ghosts did not let the bright lights affect their vision.
Advertisement
Carmichael's sister, sophomore
Kiley
(53 goals, 89 points), followed with four goals. She pointed to earlier this season, in a 13-11 loss to Newton North, in which the Ghosts trimmed an eight-goal deficit to two.
It's already bad enough dealing with one Carmichael on Westford Academy, but two?!? Senior Kassidy Carmichael (right) has teamed up with sophomore sister Kiley to form a scary tandem in Ghost-land.
Barry Chin/Globe Staff
'That shows as a team that we don't give up,' Kiley Carmichael said. 'If there's something in our way, we can push past it if we put our mind to it.'
The compete level does not end with the sisters. Senior captain
Erin Keefe
holds down the defense, junior captain
Evelyn Weber
has returned this year after missing all of last season with an ACL tear, and sophomore goaltender
Ava Preysnar
is a formidable shot-stopper.
Weber spent all of last season by Olivier's side, learning a lot about the mental part of the game to get her in the right headspace after a difficult injury.
'I got the coach's perspective,' Weber said. 'Going in this year, I felt like I had a greater sense of insight into the game of lacrosse and being able to see things differently.'
Keefe has grown with the program alongside Carmichael, both in the toughest times and the brighter ones, like its 11-9 win at Belmont this year.
'I think that one was definitely a game where defensively we kind of realized that we could be legit,' Keefe said.
In the back, Preysnar is just in her second season in goal, but has quickly shown her confidence and desire to improve.
'It's kind of a life sport now,' Preysnar said. 'I got used to it.'
The Ghosts have only won one DCL championship in their program's history, in 2013. This year, they have the chance to make history in the league and beyond.
Advertisement
'All along the way, I knew they were capable of it,' said Olivier. 'But to actually see it happen is just another confirmation that we have an opportunity for a good run.'
Behind the strength of sisters Kiley (9) and Kassidy Carmichael (19), Westford Academy is gunning for its second Dual County League title, the first coming in 2013.
Barry Chin/Globe Staff
Quick sticks
▪ When Westwood senior goalie
Kathryn Donnellan
made one final save as time expired Wednesday, it was a fitting end to an impressive 14-11 triumph over Cohasset.
Donnellan plays with the composure of a longtime goalie, but in reality she first latched onto the position sophomore year. A defender growing up, she embraced a new role on junior varsity that spring and hasn't looked back since.
She became the varsity starter last year and is now a standout on one of the state's best teams. Donnellan, who has worked with assistant and goalie coach
Hayley Barner
, has 100 saves and a .520 save percentage for the No. 1 Wolverines (15-1).
'Her focus on the technical aspects of the position has allowed her teammates to be confident in her abilities, thus creating a really strong and cohesive defensive unit,' Westwood coach
Margot Spatola
said.
▪ After finishing last season with an 8-13 record on a senior-less squad, Archbishop Williams has bounced back convincingly with a 12-3 mark.
With the vast majority of the team back, and a strong core of six seniors, the Bishops have vaulted to No. 14 in the Division 3 power rankings.
'There's been a lot of stepping up on the field this season,' third-year coach
CeCi Hodgkins
said. 'We jelled as a group and grew.'
Avery Valicenti
(62 goals),
Emily Fleming
(31 goals), and
Clare O'Keefe
(29 goals) are all catalysts, and goalie
Aliya Greenwood
has helped the defense make major strides.
Advertisement
▪ Apponequet (11-2) has continued its winning ways — highlighted by wins over New Bedford, Fairhaven, and Dighton-Rehoboth — and is up to No. 9 in Division 3.
The Lakers' top three scorers are junior
Cece Levrault
(33 goals, 13 assists), senior
Abby Bradley
(36 goals, 25 assists), and senior
Jayleigh Howarth
(18 goals, 18 assists). Senior goalie
Ally Arruda
has 68 saves.
'The girls are working very hard and are determined to do well,' Apponequet coach
Cindy Cuthbertson
said.
Games to watch
Tuesday, Weston at No. 8 Lincoln-Sudbury, 4:15 p.m.
— The Weston has won four straight and will look for its most impressive victory to date against a strong Warriors squad.
Wednesday, No. 11 Hingham at No. 4 Cohasset, 3:30 p.m.
— Hingham continues to challenge itself with a very tough schedule, hoping it pays dividends long term.
Wednesday, No. 2 Notre Dame (Hingham) at No. 1 Westwood, 4 p.m.
— In one of the more captivating matchups of the regular season, the top two teams in the Globe Poll battle in a nonleague clash and potential Division 2 tournament preview.
Wednesday, No. 18 King Philip at No. 3 Walpole, 6 p.m.
— The upset-minded Warriors will try to keep it rolling against one of the state's best.
Thursday, No. 10 Reading at No. 13 Medfield, 5:30 p.m.
— This will be a great test for both teams as they prepare for what they hope will be deep postseason runs in their respective divisions.
Correspondent Trevor Hass contributed to this story.
Aiden Barker can be reached at
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Indianapolis Star
6 hours ago
- Indianapolis Star
Doyel: Pacers never give up, have a star who doesn't miss in clutch time. It's who they are
OKLAHOMA CITY – Obi Toppin has the ball 60 feet from the basket, six seconds left in Game 1 of the 2025 NBA Finals, and Indiana Pacers coach Rick Carlisle doesn't want a timeout. The Pacers have never led the Oklahoma City Thunder, not for one second of this friggin' game in that friggin' madhouse they call Paycom Center, and this is their chance. And Carlisle doesn't want a timeout. He's been here before, see, and not just in these 2025 NBA Playoffs — though Lord knows, as do Cleveland and Milwaukee and New York — he's been here before in these NBA playoffs. Carlisle was first here, so to speak, 14 years ago in Dallas. The Mavericks had a brilliant basketball savant named Jason Kidd running the offense, and Carlisle was saying earlier Thursday, maybe 90 minutes before tipoff, that the Mavericks took off only after he got out of the way and let Kidd work his magic. That was the 2010-11 season, when the Mavs won the 2011 NBA title. This was Thursday night, Game 1 of the NBA Finals, as the Pacers are hunting the 2025 NBA title: Toppin has the ball just short of midcourt, and Carlisle isn't calling timeout because he trusts his players to make the right choice — get the ball into the hands of Tyrese Haliburton — and then he trusts Haliburton to do whatever his brilliant basketball mind tells him. Toppin makes the right play. He hands it to Haliburton, moving across the center stripe. And now Haliburton's mind is moving as fast as his feet, and his feet can move. Aaron Nesmith is coming to set a screen, but that beautiful mind of Haliburton is doing the math and gauging the game clock and the distance between himself and his preferred shooting spot. Nesmith is heading his way, but the numbers in Haliburton's head aren't adding up, so he doesn't wait. He dribbles past Nesmith, taking Cason Wallace along for the ride. Poor Cason Wallace, you know? He's just an accessory at this point, a trinket Haliburton is taking with him as he hurries to a spot 21 feet from the basket. Just inside the 3-point arc now. Wallace is close, but not close enough. The clock is ticking down, close to zero — but not, for the Oklahoma City Thunder, close enough, Haliburton is rising. He's shooting. The ball passes through the basket with 0.3 seconds left. The Pacers take their first lead of the game, 111-110. That's the final — Pacers 111, Thunder 110 — because the Thunder cannot get off a shot. Haliburton has just won his third game of this postseason, and remember: He sent a fourth game, against the Knicks, to overtime at the buzzer. Afterward, in the locker room, Haliburton is icing both knees. He's soaking both feet in an ice bath. Someone is trying to hype him up, tell him how amazing this game was, how amazing Haliburton was. And Tyrese Haliburton is giving a wan smile, because he's tired, and this is what he's saying. 'It's just one game.' The Pacers beat the best team in basketball, one of the most dominant teams — statistically — in NBA history. And the Pacers didn't even play that well. Well, not until the final 13½ minutes. The Pacers scored 45 points in those final 13½ minutes, a frenzied pace against any team, but unthinkable against a team as dominant as the Thunder have been this season. They went 68-14 in the regular season, winning the Western Conference, by 16 games — and they were even more dominant, if you can believe it, against the Eastern Conference. The Thunder went 29-1 against teams from the East this season, the best record of any team, ever, against the opposing conference. And the Thunder did it with defense, and with a nasty homecourt advantage. And the Pacers did that in the final 13½ minutes? To the Thunder? In that arena? 'This arena is madness,' Carlisle was saying afterward. 'The decibels were insane.' So was this Pacers' comeback. Again. Look, we've seen this happen so often now in these playoffs it's almost surprising when the Pacers don't rally. They stormed back from 20-point deficits twice in nine days against Milwaukee and Cleveland and were down 14 late in the fourth quarter of Game 1 against the Knicks in the Eastern Conference Finals. What do those games have in common? Haliburton heroics at the end. He beat the Bucks with a driving layup at the buzzer over Giannis Antetokounmpo. He beat the Cavaliers with a step-back 3-pointer against Ty Jerome. He sent the Knicks game into overtime with that loooooong 2-pointer that everyone thought was the game-winning 3 at the buzzer. But before we continue celebrating another of Haliburton's heroics, how about we mention how this game was even remotely winnable? There was plenty of Haliburton earlier in the fourth quarter, sure. But until the very end, it was even more Andrew Nembhard and Obi Toppin and Myles Turner. That was the trio at the heart of a 15-4 run by the Pacers that turned a 94-79 game — borderline blowout — into a 98-94 heart-thumper. And they did it in five possessions, scoring points in chunks of three: A three-point play by Nembhard, attacking Thunder defensive ace Alex Caruso and cradling the ball like a fullback before finishing at the rim. Two 3-pointers by Toppin, one off a drive-and-kick from Nembhard. Two 3-pointers from Turner. Turner adds a 15-footer. Nembhard buries a 3-pointer, and two free throws, and he's the one defending Thunder MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who scored 38 points but needed 40. On the Thunder's final shot, leading by one, SGA is attacking Nembhard and Nembhard is staying in front of him, making him take a difficult 15-footer, and doing it without fouling. SGA misses. Nesmith grabs the rebound. Passes to Toppin. Carlisle doesn't call timeout. Before the final second, before the fourth quarter, before the final 13½ minutes, the Pacers were almost historically bad in one category. 'We had to play a lot better,' Carlisle said of his message to his team at halftime, after it committed 19 turnovers in the first half. ' I mean, 19 turnovers in a half, if it's not a record for the Finals, it's got to be up there close to it.' The Thunder does this to teams. They have the best set of perimeter defenders in the league, led by All-Defensive ace Luguentz Dort, built like an NFL linebacker at 6-4, 220 pounds and every bit as fast and explosive. He was shadowing Haliburton, or letting Gilgeous-Alexander do it, or letting Caruso, or Cason Wallace, or Jalen Williams. All of them can handle the task, against any perimeter player in the league, which is why Haliburton scored just 14 points on just 13 field-goal attempts — but not because he was timid. He just couldn't get open, not against an OKC team that switches everything, handing Haliburton from one defensive menace to another. And closer to the rim, 7-1 Chet Holmgren and 7-0 Isaiah Hartenstein can move their feet like much smaller defenders. And all of them, all five players on the floor for the Thunder — whichever five it is — claw at the ball whenever it's within reach. At one point in the third quarter the Thunder led 67-55 and two Pacers, Turner and Nesmith, had more turnovers (five each) than Oklahoma City had as a team (four). 'You know,' Haliburton was saying afterward, 'it felt like it could get ugly — who knows where this game is heading? I thought we did a great job of just walking them down. When (the deficit) gets to 15, you can panic or you can talk about how do we get it to 10 and how do we get it to five and from there.' The Pacers did it with defense and 3-pointers. The Thunder have a brutal defense to try to score against anywhere near the basket, so the Pacers rallied by getting hot from 3-point range. They were 18-for-39 for the game, and getting better as the game went along: 10-for-20 in the second half, then 6-for-10 in the fourth quarter. At the other end, the Pacers' defense — no slouch of its own — was wearing on SGA and Jalen Williams. Yes, Gilgeous-Alexander scored 38 points, but he needed 30 shots (14-for-30). And Williams, who averaged 21.6 ppg this season, scored 17 on 6-for-19 shooting. Nembhard did the bulk of the work on SGA, and Nesmith did the bulk of the work on Williams, but they cross-matched at times, and Bennedict Mathurin was particularly effective when he defended SGA and Williams off the bench. But Nembhard was the Pacers' defensive star of this game, no matter how many points SGA scored, and when a reporter asked Haliburton about Nembhard afterward, Haliburton was thrilled. 'Appreciate you for asking that question,' he said. 'He's our guy. (Nembhard's) been our guy all year. If there wasn't the 65-game rule, he's an All-Defensive guy, plain and simple. 'Shai is the hardest guy to cover 1-on-1 in the NBA. There's no one look we can give that's going to work every time. But we trust Drew in those situations. … He's done a lot of the dirty work for years now, and that's his calling card in this league and he's an elite defender.' Nembhard at one end. Haliburton at the other. The Pacers rallying and storming back, again and again, and this is just who they are. 'The common denominator is them,' Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. 'They've had so many games like that that have seemed improbable.' Last word goes to the guy who keeps hitting the last shot. 'This group never gives up,' Haliburton said. 'We never believe that the game is over until it hits zero, and that's just the God's honest truth.' Find IndyStar columnist Gregg Doyel on Threads, or on BlueSky and Twitter at @GreggDoyelStar, or at Subscribe to the free weekly Doyel on Demand newsletter.
Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Yahoo
Why Warriors' Brandin Podziemski doesn't want a Giannis Antetokoumpo trade
The post Why Warriors' Brandin Podziemski doesn't want a Giannis Antetokoumpo trade appeared first on ClutchPoints. In today's NBA, stars change teams at every trade deadline and free-agency period. As of June 3rd, the longest-tenured All-Stars in the league are Stephen Curry and Draymond Green with the Golden State Warriors. Giannis Antetokounmpo is close behind, having spent the first 12 seasons of his career with the Milwaukee Bucks. Advertisement However, Milwaukee could trade their star soon. According to Warriors guard Brandin Podziemski, he does not want to see the MVP finalist to demand a trade this summer. After an ACL injury to Damian Lillard and another first-round playoff exit, experts expect Antetokounmpo to request a trade this summer. Teams around the league will line up to offer packages for the nine-time All-NBA selection. However, Podziemski offered his thoughts on the situation. According to him, he much prefers players to stay with their original team for their entire career. Podziemski grew up in Wisconsin and was a big Bucks fan as a kid. He spoke to Kay Adams on Tuesday's episode of Up and Adams about the rumors swirling around the superstar. To him, Antetokounmpo playing in another city just doesn't feel right. 'It's like Steph[en Curry] not playing for the Warriors,' Podziemski said about the Greek Freak changing teams. 'All guys who've cemented their legacy and what they're about in this league on one team, you never expect it to change. Advertisement 'It's the same as Luka [Doncic] in Dallas. The whole world is shocked because of the player that he is, and you could see that they were building around him. It's like any star in the league that stays with one team. You expect them to be in one jersey, and anywhere else just doesn't seem right at all.' Even though he is with the Warriors, Podziemski still has an affinity for his hometown. For him, his goal is to win a championship in Milwaukee for Golden State against the Bucks. 'It'd be pretty cool to win a championship in Milwaukee against them; that would be something cool,' Podziemski said. 'But I love Golden State. I love everything that they've invested in me despite having Hall of Famers all the time around me. It's pretty cool to be wanted as a young player.' Podziemski and Antetokounmpo are at different points in their careers. However, if the young Warriors guard has his way, they will stay where they are and finish their careers with one team. Still, Milwaukee's superstar fits what the Warriors are looking for. Therefore, there is a world in which they are in the same deal.
Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Yahoo
Pacers teach Thunder hard lesson in NBA Finals Game 1. You cannot count them out.
OKLAHOMA CITY – Discouraged and encouraged. Angry and optimistic. Those were the emotions the Indiana Pacers felt throughout Game 1 of the NBA Finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Discouraged and angry about their inability to protect the basketball, which led to 19 first-half turnovers. Advertisement 'They are a menace defensively,' Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said. WATCH: Tyrese Haliburton's game-winning shot completes Pacers' NBA Finals Game 1 comeback MORE: Caitlin Clark reacts to Pacers' thrilling victory Discouraged and angry that sloppy play allowed the Thunder to take a 15-point lead early in the fourth quarter. But encouraged and optimistic that they were really never out of the game and encouraged and optimistic that they were within a possession of tying or taking the lead late in the fourth quarter. The Pacers led once in Game 1. When it mattered most. Tyrese Haliburton's 21-foot jump shot with 0.3 seconds left in the fourth quarter gave the Pacers a 111-110 victory Thursday, June 5, and a 1-0 series lead. Advertisement It left the Thunder and their fans stunned. 'The common denominator is them,' Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. 'That's a really good team. Credit them for not only tonight but their run. They've had so many games like that that have seemed improbable. They just play with a great spirit, they keep coming, they made plays, made shots. They deserved to win by a point." It left Carlisle once again marveling at his team's ability to just keep playing and see what the score is when the final horn sounds and marveling at Haliburton's ability to make gigantic plays with the game on the line. MORE: Rick Carlisle shows support for Doris Burke: 'She has changed the game' Advertisement OPINION: Don't worry about NBA Finals TV ratings. Appreciate Pacers-Thunder for what it is. Game 1 was the Pacers' fifth comeback victory from a deficit of 15 or more points in the 2025 NBA playoffs, the most by a team in a single postseason since 1998. 'We just said, 'Hey, let's just keep chipping away at the rock. Got to keep pounding the rock and just chip away and hang in,' ' Carlisle said. 'We had a lot of experience in these kinds of games, and our guys have a real good feel for what it's all about, giving ourselves a chance, and we got fortunate but made plays.' Teams and players make their own fortune, and the Pacers did that. Advertisement The Thunder led 108-99 with 2:52 remaining the fourth quarter. They made just one basket the rest of the game as the Pacers made play after play. Andrew Nembhard made a 3-pointer that cut Oklahoma City's lead to 108-105 at the 1:59 mark and his two free throws with 1:22 to go kept it a three-point game at 110-107. Pascal Siakam made it 110-109, and the Pacers forced NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander into a miss with 11.1 seconds remaining. Aaron Nesmith collected the rebound and gave the ball to Haliburton, setting up the winning shot. 'Hopefully get the ball in Tyrese's hands,' Carlisle said, 'and look to make a play.' Advertisement It was the fourth time in the playoffs that Haliburton made a shot that won a game or sent a game to overtime. 'We never think the game is over,' Haliburton said. 'Never.' Follow NBA columnist Jeff Zillgitt on social media @JeffZillgitt This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Pacers teach Thunder hard lesson. 'We never think the game is over'
