The undefeated Porkers went into the state tournament being the only Division 1 team in the state to have a perfect regular season record.  But the field hockey team knew that their record did not matter in the postseason because if they had one bad game their season would be over. In the first round the Porkers had a bye, so they started preparing early for their first game versus Oliver Ames, and, eventually, their second game versus Mansfield.

The Porkers faced Oliver Ames on Friday, November 4, at Turco Field.  Even though Oliver Ames was ranked 17^th in the South, Walpole knew that they still had to bring their ‘A’ game – and they did exactly that.  Within the first minute of the game junior Bridget Nicholson scored on a rebound off the goalie’s pads.  But the scoring did not stop there as senior Captain Meghan Murphy rocketed a shot by the goalie with 22:56 left in the first half.  Sophomore Brooke Matherson also had a beautiful shot that resulted in a goal.  To finish up the half, senior Cailey Griffin put a ball in the back of the net, to go into the second half up 4-0.  The Porkers had a bit of a slow start to the second half, but soon enough Matherson scored again, led up from Murphy putting another ball behind the goalie.  To finish up the scoring for the day Matherson got her third goal, ending the game with a hat trick.  Walpole was very satisfied with their 7-0 victory and had high hopes for their next game on Sunday, November 6, against Mansfield.

Gearing up for their second game of the tournament, the Porkers knew that their game versus Mansfield was going to be a tough, hard-fought one.  Mansfield was ranked 9^th in the state and was coming off a high from their previous game – when they upset Somerset Berkeley, who was ranked 8^th in the South.  The Porkers stared off strong, and created a stroke – a penalty shot – opportunity for Matherson at 7:49 into the game.  She effortlessly shot the ball into the top left corner of the cage, with no chance that the goalie would stop it.  Walpole knew that they had to keep the intensity up if they wanted to win this game.  About halfway through the first half, sophomore Michaela Tosone scored with a pass from Murphy, to put the Porkers up 2-0.  But Mansfield fought back hard and towards the end of the half Mansfield score on a perfectly executed corner making the game within one.  The first half ended with the score of 2-1, Walpole on top.  The second half of play was very back-and-forth, with goalie and senior Captain Katie Kelley making several spectacular saves from the net.  Overall, Walpole slightly had the upper hand, with two shots ricocheting off the post and out of bounds.  It was a nail-biting finish, but the Porkers held on with victory and the final score 2-1.

After the game Murphy said, “I think the nerves of our first competitive tournament game got to us, and we didn’t play our best.  We just have to move on, and take that game as a stepping-stone in practice of maintaining composure and intensity in future games.”  The Porkers will face Franklin on Tuesday night, November 8, at 7 p. m. on Turco Field in their pursuit of a state championship.