Adjusting to the varsity level of play for any high school athlete can be a difficult transition. Although youth years and Junior Varsity play gives one experience, the nerves never go away when stepping foot on the field for the first time as a starting varsity player. Now, imagine this anxiety — and imagine the added anxiety of not only being a first year varsity player, but also being the player whose mistakes could most directly cost your team the game. For Walpole Girls Lacrosse, they have one player who fully understands this pressure: their goalie, junior Erin LeBlanc (also known by her teammates as “Tito”). As a first time varsity player, Erin has definitely overcome the anxieties during her 20 game stint as a starting goalie. On Wednesday, May 29, her playoff nerves were tested as her #8 seeded Rebels faced off against #9 seeded Hingham.
Erin has now been playing lacrosse for 4 years; however, she has not always been a goalie. In the 7th grade, she played the attack position but offered to try being a goalie for one game because the team lacked a true goalie and rotated players into that position. After that one game though, that rotation stopped, for Erin was a natural. Throughout the years, Erin improved her goalie skills by practicing often and attending camps such as Dean Goalie Camp. LeBlanc said, “This camp was an amazing opportunity for me because it improved my game immensely.”
As a junior who has previously played goalie for the Junior Varsity team, Erin needed to improve her level of play. LeBlanc said, “Before Varsity, girls did not shoot hard and did not place shots.”
Despite the higher level of play this season, Erin successfully made the transition. As someone who was not anticipated to be the regular starter, she proved herself in the preseason and impressed Coach Michael Tosone to the point where he chose her for the starting position. Since then, she has started every game. Erin said, “This year was hard, but I worked hard to earn the position.”
In their first playoff game against Hingham on Wednesday, the team won a nail-biter of a game by the score of 16-15. Although Walpole led 5-1 and 10-5 early in the game, Hingham caught up by halftime to be within two points at 11-9. During a very competitive second half where the score was tied four separate times (11-11, 13-13, 14-14, 15-15), Erin maintained her composure and made numerous clutch saves. Although she allowed 3 straight goals to end the first half at 11-9, she never lost focus. After letting the goals in, Erin used that disappointment to get fired up for the second half.
She said, “To save a shot is an amazing feeling. My heart is racing and the fact that I saved the shot just boosts my confidence to save the next one.”
Because of her staunch defending in the second half and because the Rebels held the ball, Hingham did not score in the final 7 minutes of the game.
Erin’s teammate Casey White said, “As a first year starting varsity goalie Erin has been unbelievably dedicated to the team and really surprised us all when she’s on the field with both her attitude and amazing skill.”
Earlier in the season in their game against Framingham on May 9, Erin arguably had her best game. She helped get the victory against Framingham for the first time in Walpole Girls’ Lacrosse history. In the second half, the two teams were tied 12-12 but LeBlanc held them to one goal after that. The Rebels took the lead 15-13 and earned a place in the state tournament because of her great play.
In the long term, LeBlanc hopes to continue improving in order to come back next year as an even stronger goalie for her senior year. In the short term, Leblanc hopes to do her best in their second playoff game against the juggernaut known as Westwood Girls Lacrosse on May 31 in Westwood.
