Cassidy Weeks, Sixes Made for Each Other

Somehow, Cassidy Weeks has flown under the radar her entire lacrosse career.

At Boston College, where she won two NCAA championships, Weeks started every game but one — the first game she appeared in as a freshman in 2019. She scored 127 career goals with 32 assists and did everything else a do-it-all midfielder is supposed to do.

Acacia Walker-Weinstein’s eyes lit up whenever someone asked a question about Weeks. Yet in a sea of stars at Boston College, Weeks seemingly blended in more than a player of her caliber should have.

All the dirty work Weeks does could be part of the reason why, too. Goal totals jump out in the box score. Not aggressive rides, timely ground balls or pesky defense. But it’s those abilities that made her an asset this summer with the U.S. Women’s Sixes National Team at The World Games in Chengdu, China.

Sixes is exactly where Weeks belongs. It’s almost like the game was created for a player of her skillset.

“I think it’s more of a middie style game,” Weeks said one month after the U.S. captured gold in the event. “You have to be able to play both sides of the ball. It’s such a fast pace, so you have to have that endurance. I think I do better at the end of games when other people are getting tired.”

Weeks’ motor on defense flummoxed every opponent that stood in the United States’ way. She had her scoring moments, too, but Weeks was there to dominate on the other end and guide some of the sport’s best attackers — namely Sam Apuzzo, Charlotte North and Izzy Scane — on the defensive end.

The defense became something of calling card for the U.S., in no small part due to Weeks’ effort. You can see that defense on display when the entire 12-player roster returns for international competition from Sept. 26-28 at USA Lacrosse headquarters in Sparks, Md., for the Atlas Cup. You can purchase tickets here.

Prior to leaving for China, U.S. head coach Lindsey Munday sang Weeks’ praises. On a team featuring the who’s who of women’s lacrosse players, Weeks again flew under the radar during the roster announcement. Her selection to the team was intentional.

“She’s so consistent, and I say that as the highest compliment,” Munday said. “Consistency is one of the most underrated qualities. She is one of the best players I have ever seen at it.”

It was a whirlwind summer for Weeks, who walks around town in Bayport, N.Y., fielding compliments and congratulations from the community.

“That is one of the craziest things,” Weeks said. “People bring it up to me in my daily life and ask, ‘Do you know what you just did?’”

She even brought her gold medal to the physical therapy office where she works and was treated like a celebrity.

“It’s so heavy,” Weeks said of the gold medal. “I show people and I say, ‘You have to hold this.’”

That Weeks is still in awe of this past summer speaks to her humility and appreciation of how her life has changed in the last year. Sixes wasn’t even on her mind before the summer of 2024. Neither was the idea of wearing a U.S. jersey.

Then she met Munday and participated in her first U.S. sixes training event. The rest is history.

“I hadn’t been in some of these conversations even a year ago,” Weeks said. “I don’t think a lot of people would have picked me out of a crowd to do it.”

Creating an identity for herself, one uniquely her own, wasn’t always a possibility as she navigated high school lacrosse at Bayport-Blue Point or college lacrosse at Boston College. She was often, for good reason, tied at the hip to her twin sister, Courtney.

An excellent midfielder in her own right, Courtney played in 52 games (22 starts) at Boston College and contributed 55 goals and 22 assists. Injuries took a toll on her NCAA career, leading Cassidy to play her final season in college without her twin.

“It does feel a little different playing with the U.S. team without her,” Cassidy Weeks said. “Everyone’s always grouped us together. We’re always together. It’s something I wish we could have experienced together.”

While Courtney has given up her lacrosse playing career, she’s still very much involved in her sister’s. They go on marathon-style distance runs together to help Cassidy build up that world-class endurance and sport the typical amount of twin-on-twin competition.

“Since we’re twins, we are so competitive against each other,” Cassidy said. “I don’t think I’d be where I am today without her pushing me. We’re always fighting against each other.”

While the Weeks family couldn’t make it to China, they stayed up late to account for the 12-hour time difference and watched every game. Most of the postgame texts were supportive. Courtney’s were sometimes playfully critical.

“She knows the ins and outs, so she’s always telling me what I can do better,” Cassidy said.

It’s easy to argue that Cassidy Weeks has gotten better and better over the past year, and it’s reasonable to say she’s playing the best lacrosse of her life. The sixes discipline helped her unlock the next gear, allowing her to stand out on a field of superstars.

As much as she found sixes, sixes found her. And her role? It’s arguably the most critical on the field.

“[Monday] told me I was a workhorse,” Weeks said. “I might not be the goal scorer, but what I’m doing is important.”