With their late tournament berth last year against Norwood in their last regular season game, which resulted in the team claiming the lowest possible seed in the South Sectional, Walpole claimed the lowest possible seed for the South Sectional Tournament with a final regular season record of 6-6-6.
Over the next two weeks, the #19 seeded Rebels proved that seeds are just a number. In their cinderella tournament run, the Rebels beat #14 Plymouth South, #3 Oliver Ames, and #6 North Attleboro before they fell to #2 Bishop Feehan in the South Sectional Semi-Final.
Led by Head Coach Erin Kearney and Assistant Coach Bill Wallace (a new addition this year), Walpole Girls Soccer has not lost a single game yet, and they have continued last season’s trend of tying opponents with a record of 1-0-2.
“After our success in the post-season last year, we have even higher hopes for this year’s tournament. We definitely have the determination to achieve this goal, so we are hoping our hard work pays off,” said senior Captain Ashley Levya.
Over the years, the stopper-sweeper back and man-marking strategy has made Walpole a mainly defensive team. Walpole’s back line is ruled by senior Captain Abby McMackin, who is the last player opposing teams have to take on before facing junior Kaitlin Brown in net. Along with McMackin and Brown, the back is also protected by Gallivan and sophomore Tess Erwin. Last year, Erwin was a standout player on JV, but her knee injury prevented her from being called up to varsity. However, this year, Erwin starts and plays most of each game on outside defense.
In the middle of the field, the team depends on Lund’s quick speed and intricate footwork. Lund, who has already committed to play for the College of Holy Cross next year, is backed up by Freshman Libby Foley. who has become one of Walpole’s key offensive players. On September 5 in a game against Brookline, Foley scored Walpole’s lone goal – a header off of a corner.
“Libby complements Lund in the midfield and provides additional offensive support,” said senior Captain Annie Gallivan.
In addition to Foley, junior Lisa Regan has also contributed on offense thus far this season. On September 2 against Newton North at home, Regan scored during the first half. Then, in the second half Regan shot a ball from just outside the box, and it sailed over the goalie’s head and into the back of the net.
Most recently on September 9, Walpole faced Needham, one of the tougher teams that they will play this season. Needham scored early into the first half, and Walpole struggled to tie the game up. However, Coach Kearney pulled McMackin up from her normal sweeper position to forward, and she managed to score a goal to end the game in a 1-1 tie.
Walpole’s record is currently 1-0-2, and they will be playing in Natick on September 12. Natick is one of Walpole’s biggest rivals, so this game will definitely be one of the most intense games of their season.
“Although last year we did not score a lot of goals and were primarily a defensive team,” said Gallivan,”This year our goal is to get the ball in the back of the net.”
