Avonlea Cummings
Hometown Weekly Sports Reporter
On an unseasonably warm late October evening, spectators gathered to witness Needham High's penultimate match of the regular season. With a record of 13-3, the Needham Rockets faced off against their hosts, the formidable Walpole Porkers, who boasted a 16-1 record. The stage was set for a closely contested match, and the Needham Rockets exhibited unwavering determination, although they ultimately succumbed to a 5-1 defeat.
The Needham Rockets ignited their offensive efforts at the start of the first quarter, exuding palpable energy. With seven minutes remaining in the opening quarter, they skillfully breached the Walpole Porkers' defenses and notched the first goal of the night. The Rockets were understandably jubilant to seize the early lead and continued to display their tenacity and desire to secure victory. However, Walpole persistently probed for openings in the Rockets' solid defense. With less than two minutes left in the first quarter, Walpole managed to level the score at 1-1.
The second quarter passed without any scoring, setting the stage for an intense third quarter in which Walpole capitalized with three consecutive goals. As the fourth quarter commenced, the crowd's energy remained palpable, and the Rockets drew motivation from the fans. Needham demonstrated resilience and tenacity against Walpole's formidable skills, often regaining possession and pressing forward toward the offensive zone. Nevertheless, Walpole seized an opportunity and notched their fifth goal with three minutes remaining. Needham continued to battle relentlessly, but as the seconds dwindled away, the final buzzer signaled the conclusion of the contest.
Head coach Stephanie Magni reflected on the evening's match and discussed the team's preparations for this pivotal moment in the season.
“We’ve been working on a lot of film, which I think it was a really good opportunity for our team to see some of the things us coaches see. We’ve been breaking down a lot of film from our Walpole game earlier this year so we could see how we defended them how they defended us, and broke down all those skills. Walpole is obviously a team we face all the time, they are a team that we always try to step up for, our energy level and want to win tonight was just incredible and I think we really showed that within the first six minutes of the game, we came out really strong. We’ve been working on coming out strong during warm-ups, and getting each other pumped, it’s been helping us start off games strong,” said Magni.
