On Saturday, June 2 the girls lacrosse team faced off against Needham in the second round of tournament to determine which team would move on to the quarter finals. The weather conditions were poor as it rained for most of the game, making passing and catching tough.
Less than two minutes into the game, Needham scored their first goal. The Rebels answered with a goal of their own, when junior Erin Richardson got the ball off of one of Needham’s missed shots and ran it down the field to score. Needham immediately intercepted one of Walpole’s passes and transitioned down the field for their second goal. Walpole then took a timeout to give their players a break. Coming out of the time out, the Rebels were awarded four free position shots, but junior Seana Cofsky was the only one of the four to score, on the fourth attempt. Needham brought the ball down the field, but was shut down by senior captain and goalie Erin Nelligan. Nelligan’s saves did not deter Needham, and they scored two goals in a row, but could not get a third consecutive goal, as Nelligan made another save. Walp0le transitioned the ball back down the field and passed it to sophomore Bri Doherty who scored the Rebel’s third goal, making the score 4-3, in favor of Needham.
Needham answered Doherty’s goal with two more goals, but Cofsky quickly retaliated with another goal for Walpole. Needham scored one more goal before the Rebel’s junior Michaela Tosone was given a yellow card for a dangerous push. Needham used this to their advantage and picked up two more goals before halftime, making the score 9-3 in their favor.
To start the half, Needham scored four goals in a row, interrupted only by a Walpole goal from junior Jen McDonald. Continuing with their scoring streak, Needham scored two more goals. Cofsky scored the last goal of the game, making the final score 15-5.
Needham will advance to the quarter-finals of the tournament, and Walpole will end their season, having successfully made it to the second round of tournament, something they also accomplished last season, when they were defeated by Westwood. Despite the undesirable weather conditions, both teams played a hard-fought game, but Needham came out on top.
