For a team that was still fighting in the last week of the regular season for a tournament berth, getting any points out of a game against the top-ranked team in the state seemed unlikely.  Coming off of a 2-0 win against Braintree to get the 17 points needed to qualify for tournament, the Walpole Girls soccer team was not only able to tie Franklin—ranked #1 in the state by boston.com—but was also the first team this season to come out of a game against them with any points.

The girls faced Franklin on Sunday, October 28th in Franklin, a game that was originally scheduled for Monday night, was played early due to the incoming hurricane.  The game started off similarly to most of Franklin’s games this season, as Franklin took the lead about midway through the first half.  However, Walpole was able to answer soon after as senior Emma Comiskey sent a high cross in from the right side of the field that senior captain Ella McMackin was able to redirect and head into the back of the net.  Shortly after, sophomore midfielder Stephanie Lund was also able to find the back of the net for the Rebels, sending in a shot from 25 yards out.  Lund said, “I feel like we turned it up a notch after the first goal, and a second goal helped keep our momentum going.”  The Rebels were able to hold off the Panthers for the last few minutes of the half, allowing them to go into the second half with a 2-1 lead.

Despite being able to shut down Franklin star Kristi Kirshe for the first half and most of the second half by double-teaming her, she was able to preserve her team’s unbeaten record with just under ten minutes remaining in the game.  Kirshe took advantage when Walpole defenders were unable to clear a loose ball bouncing around in the box, and she scored the equalizer with a close-range shot.

Both teams continued to play physically for the remainder of the game and each had scoring opportunities.  The best bid in the second half for Walpole came with only 40 seconds remaining in the game, as a Franklin defender sent a pass back to their keeper who picked the pass up, leading to an indirect kick in the box for the Rebels.  Although the Panthers were able to clear the ball and avoid the danger, Walpole was able to prevent them from scoring a game-winner in order to preserve their spotless record and the game ended with a 2-2 draw.

Although this was not a win for the Rebels, they proved that they can be a major threat to some of the top-ranked teams in the state as the postseason approaches.  The girls will face Wellesley on Friday, November 2 in Wellesley at 1 in the preliminary round of the tournament.  This will be the third time these two teams have faced off this season, the first resulting in a 1-1 tie and the second in a 2-0 win for the Rebels. McMackin summed up the feelings of the team when she said, “I think if we play like we did Sunday night, then we could have a lot of good outcomes in the postseason games.”