As an athlete, you can look back and remember one particular game and relive all the emotions of that day. You can feel everything, from the nerves waiting for the clock to run out of time to the pure joy and excitement when you hear that last whistle blow to end the game. Walpole Girls Lacrosse experienced this on Thursday, May 9, when they played through a thunderstorm and when that final whistle blew, not only did they qualify for the tournament, but they also beat Framingham for the first time in Walpole Girls Lacrosse history.
Framingham has had a strong girls lacrosse program for years, and they were the Division I Champions in 2010. The game, in Framingham, began at around 4:00 p.m., just as the clouds were getting darker and people heard that there was thunder and lightning back in Walpole.
The Rebels started off with the intensity that they needed with two goals, from senior captain Michaela Tosone and sophomore Molly Lanahan, in the first four minutes. Framingham responded with one goal, which was then answered by a goal from senior captain Erin Richardson.
After playing for about 15 minutes, there was a flash of lightning, and the referee blew the whistle signaling the game would stop until the thunder and lightning end. The rules state that games must stop when there is thunder or lightning and they cannot restart until 30 minutes after the last clap of thunder or flash of lightning.
After over 30 minutes of waiting in the hallways of Framingham High School, the Rebels retook the field to finish their game. For the rest of the half, Walpole had six more goals to Framingham’s three. When it was finally half time, it was 5:48 p.m. and Walpole was winning 9-4. After the half, the Rebels held the momentum as they scored three more goals answered by only one from Framingham.
However, another round of thunder and lightning came and once again the referees stopped the clock. Senior captain Seana Cofsky said, “Obviously, the weather delays weren’t ideal. It’s hard to play a third of a game, sit for 30 minutes, and then have to pick right up where you left off. And having to do that twice definitely hurt our momentum.”
After waiting inside for another 30 minutes, they went out to keep playing. Framingham stole the momentum as they scored six goals that went unanswered by the Rebels. From then on, the game was neck and neck as both teams had several scoring opportunities. Walpole got a lead of 15-13 as the game was coming to a close. With 8 seconds left, Framingham called a timeout and gave it one last second effort to get the ball in the back of the net. Junior defender Lena Ford intercepted the ball to end the game.
This was an important win for the Rebels because they knew going into the game that it would be a tough competition due to Framingham’s reputation as a strong program year after year. Thursday’s win was the first time in the history of Walpole Girls Lacrosse that they defeated Framingham. “Beating Framingham was such a great feeling, I’m really proud to be part of the first win against that team. It just shows how special this years team really is,” said Cofsky.
The win also qualified the Rebels for the postseason tournament. Last year, they made it into the tournament, but were knocked out by Needham in the second round. The seeds will be announced by the MIAA on Thursday May 23, 2013. The Rebels have a game tomorrow against Franklin and they hope to improve their 13-5 record and get ready for a long postseason run.
