In 2013 Walpole Field Hockey won the Division 1 State Championship; in 2014 however, the top seeded Porkers were upset by the #16 seed Wellesley in the first round.   On September 16, the Porkers looked to regain their reputation as one of the most dominant teams in Massachusetts by beating their Bay State rival.  Ultimately, Walpole came out on top and beat Wellesley by a score of 2-0 to improve their record to 3-0.

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“It was extremely satisfying to beat the team that kicked us out of tournament last year. The win was a solid team effort and everyone played well; it was clear we were out for revenge,” said Senior Captain Sarah Rockwood.

After graduating 11 seniors, Walpole now has only 3 returning seniors and 4 returning starters: seniors Sarah Rockwood and Nicole Tobin and juniors Melanie Weber and Sophia Giovaniello. This turnover calls for a lot of newcomers and underclassmen to step into the roles as starters.

“The underclassmen definitely have big shoes to fill, but I can already tell that they are picking it up quickly and are becoming more confident on the field. It is key to our success that these younger girls and newcomers can perform at a high level,” said Captain Melanie Weber.

After a tiring and difficult preseason and lots of training of newcomers, Walpole has started off their 2015 season undefeated. The Porkers won their season opener against Natick, 8-0. Two days later, they improved their record to 2-0 by beating Newton North, 4-1.

The Porkers expect their young team to perform even better as the season goes on as newcomers and underclassmen become more comfortable and reliable on the field. A young, determined team may be exactly what the Porkers need to regain their reputation as a powerhouse field hockey team.

Rockwood said, “We are really starting to gel as a team which I think is really important in order to do well this year. If we keep improving and working together I think we are going to have a very successful season.”