At 6:17 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 10, the Walpole High School (WHS) field hockey team, the Porkers, stepped out onto Turco Field to face off against Westwood. The Porkers (11-1) held the first seed in their division leading up to the final non-league game of the regular season against the Westwood Wolverines (5-4), and were favorites leading into the matchup.
Despite this, the game took a turn in the first quarter when the Wolverines scored early on Coach Jen Quinn’s squad. Westwood controlled play throughout the majority of the first half, displaying a strong defense on a few defensive corners and success in driving the ball up to their offensive half. Nearing the end of the second quarter, it looked like the Wolverines would be up 1-0 going into the half.
However, a key penalty called on Westwood gave Walpole the opportunity to score on a penalty stroke, present- ing the Porkers with a chance to erase their one-goal deficit. Walpole’s senior co-captain, Kerin Birch, stepped up to the dash with just under four minutes left in the half, scoring on the one-hit stroke, one-on-one with the goalie. A minute later, junior Caitlin Naughton tacked on a second goal, leaving the Porkers up 2-1 at the end of the half.
The Timberwolves momentum carried through the break as they came into the second half strong, scoring twice in the third quarter—one which Birch scored off of a give-and-go with Naughton following sophomore Kendal Cusack’s offensive corner send-in, and another which junior Izzy Adams scored off of an assist by sophomore forward Kate Schneider.
Walpole’s defense held Westwood down late in the game, and the Porkers narrowly missed multiple goals in the fourth quarter. By the end of the match, the Porkers had se- cured themselves another victory, bumping their record to 12-1.
For many of the Porkers, this year is their last shot to secure the state title—which would be Walpole High’s 13th title and first since 2016. According to the captains, the push for the state title has never been stronger, and everybody on the team can feel it.
“It’s a thing in this town… [winning the state champion- ship]. Every single person on this team wants it, our coaches, our players, even the kids on the younger teams—everybody wants it. So I think that’s what makes this so different, it’s that everybody’s all in,” Birch said.
Fellow senior captain Katie Colleran also stated that Walpole’s early loss to Ux-bridge served as a reminder that they still have things to work on to achieve their goal.
“[The loss] brought us around to realize we have things to fix [before the tournament],” Colleran said, also noting the team’s earnest work to improve their game before the season’s end.
Walpole finishes the regular season with four games on the road before closing out their season at home on Oct. 25 against Needham. The Porkers are also looking to add the 13th title to the WHS gymnasium as they have lost in the Division I State Finals to Andover two years in a row.
The mindset and goals are there; it is only a matter of performing at the highest level that they can to hopefully make the tournament again, compete in every game that they are in, reach the finals and take down Andover.
The coaching staff of the Porkers is nothing short of outstanding. Coach Quinn is hopeful that the group of girls she has can work their way into the tournament again. Parents, friends and members of the faculty at WHS are firm believers in the Porkers and know they can do the job. It is not a question of who will get it done, but when will the Porkers finally raise banner number 13.
