On Saturday October 30, 2010, the Walpole Rebels Boys Soccer Team squared off against their non league rivals, the Bishop Feehan Shamrocks, in a match up that could give Walpole its best regular season record of all time. Unfortunately for Head Coach Lee Delaney and his Rebels, it was not meant to be as they fell to Feehan by a score of 3-2. At this point, Delaney and his coaching staff turned their attention towards their first round playoff match up with their Bay State League foes, the Braintree Wamps.
On Tuesday November 9, 2010, the Rebels, toting a 13-3-2 record sought to defend their home field against the visiting Wamps who ended the regular season with a 10-8-5 record. From the opening whistle, the theme of Braintree’s offense became evident. Walpole’s defense would make every possession a challenge for the Wamps, making the advancement of the ball past midfield a daunting task. Within only five minutes of the opening kickoff, the Wamp offense scored on a throw in, giving them a 1-0 lead. This score would stand for the remainder of the first half.
It took Braintree only four minutes to score their first goal of the second half on a breakaway, putting the Rebels behind by a score of 2-0. At the 30 minute landmark of the second half, the Wamps scored yet another goal, putting the Rebels in a deep 3-0 hole.
As time winded down on the second half, the chances of a Rebel upset became less likely with every tick of the clock. With 12 minutes remaining, junior Matt Lavanchy scored an astounding goal from 30 yards out to bring the Rebels within two. Only moments later, junior Captain Tim Sullivan scored off a Walpole throw in from senior Chris Cerqueira, re-energizingthe Walpole squad while decreasing the Walpole deficit to one goal.
Walpole’s resurgence proved to be too little too late, as the Wamps held the Rebels scoreless in the final games final ten minutes.
Despite suffering a bitter end to their season, the success of the 2010 Rebels squad does not go unnoticed. By posting the second best record in Walpole history, the 2010 Boys Soccer Team has cemented itself a spot in Walpole soccer history. The Rebels perserverent nature that was showcased in the final 12 minutes of their first round defeat is one of the many characteristics that made this team great.
