By Owen Ziegler
Hometown Weekly Sports Reporter
On the afternoon of Friday, March 28, the Westwood Wolverines girls lacrosse team faced off against the Ashland Clockers. Coming into the very first game of the 2025 season. Ultimately, the game would end in destruction by Westwood, finishing in front, 18-2.
Westwood finished last season with a record of 16-5, being defeated in the division 2 playoffs by championship-bound Walpole in the round of 8. Ashland, in division 3 held a record of 14-6. This season, the team is led by five senior captains, all of whom are committed to play college lacrosse.
In their anticipated matchup, Westwood sure had the edge, but Ashland was not to be doubted. That is until 30 seconds into the game, Westwood senior captain Cece Thurmond, committed to Hofstra lacrosse, buried a shot to immediately put Westwood ahead. Westwood kept piling on the goals in the 1st quarter,. At the end of the quarter the score was 7-1, with two goals from senior captain Emilie Demaio, Committed to Quinnipiac lacrosse.
At the start of the 2nd quarter, Thurmond made a superb pass to Demaio for her 3rd goal out of 5 on the night, along with Thurmond’s 3 assist, the seniors dominated. Despite the seniors' excellence, they still made room for other players to shine. Sophomore Bridget Hughes was able to score a crucial 3 goals in the game, along with an exceptional isolation goal by sophomore Emma FitzPatrick, and goals from junior Kate Sullivan and freshman Erin Gannon. These goals from a variety of players propelled Westwood to their dominant win.
The 3rd quarter was packed with action, but only from one side of the field. Some of the hard work was shown by Charlotte Demaio, also committed to Quinnipiac lacrosse. She scored two goals, complementing that with two assists helped Westwood finish the quarter 16-2.
In the 4th quarter, the Wolverines scored two more times. Throughout the game, Westwoods defense was phenomenal, only allowing two goals, but almost entirely preventing Ashlands offense from getting close to the goal. Adding to their defense, the offense was nothing short of perfect: with great passes, good opportunities, and few missed shots or turnovers. The fans hope this was a preview of the season ahead.
