On Wednesday June 2, the Walpole Rebels Girls Lacrosse Team took on the Falmouth Clippers in ther first round of the MIAA State Tournament.  The Rebels, who finished the regular season with a 15-5 record, began their pursuit of a State Championship with an impressive 12-1 victory over the Clippers.

The first half was dominated by the Rebel offense.  Senior captain Shelby Guisti, along with junior standout Sarah Buckley seemingly scored at will against the struggling Clipper defense.  Both of these Rebel scoring leaders surpassed the hat trick landmark before the end of the half.  Guisti scored two quick goals within three minutes of the starting horn, giving the Rebels an instant edge in momentum and a 2-0 lead on the scoreboard.  Two minutes later, Buckley added a goal to the Rebel lead with a spectacular shot from the left wing that barely snuck by Falmouth goalie Melissa Romiza.  Romiza showcased her skill in the net on the next Rebel possession, making a remarkable save on a shot attempt by Guisti.  Romiza’s save provided the Clippers with a glimpse of momentum, but Guisti forced this momentum to be short-lived, scoring two consecutive goals, giving the Rebels a 5-0 lead.  Buckley responded to Guisti by scoring two quick goals of her own, putting the Rebels ahead 7-0.  It was not until 5:00 remained in the first half that anyone other than Guisti or Buckley scored a goal.  Junior midfielder Kim Walsh, wove her way to the net before firing a shot past the outstretched stick of Romiza, making the score 8-0 in favor of the Rebels.  While the Falmouth defense struggled immensely in the first half, the Rebel defense looked as good as they have all season, shutting down the powerful Falmouth offense.  Senior defensemen Brooke Waite, Alicia Tosone, and Molly Grimes, continued to shut down Falmouth powerful scoring tandem of senior captains Jacqueline Sartell and Amber Morse.  Senior goalie Kayla Cullen shutout the Clippers until the final minute of the first half, when Sartell scored the only Clipper goal of the half.  This lone goal left the score at 8-1 after the first half of play.

With a comfortable lead, the Rebels seemed to focus more intently on their defensive play in the second half.  Merely advancing the ball past midfield became an incredibly challenging task for the Clippers, as junior midfielder Rachel MacMillan forced consecutive turnovers to begin the half.  Cullen held down the Rebel fort in net, stopping every shot she saw in the second half.  Despite the decrease of intensity on the offensive end of the field, Guisti managed to score an impressive goal in the first five minutes in the quarter, leaping above Falmouth defenders before firing a shot past Romiza.  Buckley netted two more goals before the midway point of the quarter, putting the Rebels on top 11-1.  With a 10 goal lead with 10 minutes remaining, it seemed as though Walpole Head Coach Tim Drummey had “called off the dogs”, removing his starters and allowing for his reserves to take over for the remainder of the game.   Junior attack Cecelia Abely, scored the final Rebel goal of the game with seven minutes remaining, putting the Rebels ahead 12-1.  Walpole held Falmouth scoreless for the remainder of the game, making the final score 12-1.

Walpole will take on the Wellesley Raiders on Saturday June 5.  The Rebels suffered two dissapointing losses to the Raiders in the regular season and will certainly be looking for revenge over their Herget rivals.