By Max Clifford
Hometown Weekly Reporter
Walpole High School Varsity Field Hockey’s quest to secure a much anticipated state title got off to a dominant start. The Porkers opened their season with a dominant 14-0 victory over Weymouth on Tuesday, September 6 before taking down Bishop Feehan 5-1 on Friday.
Walpole’s season-opening win was never in doubt as it took less than a minute for Izzy Adams to capitalize on a feed from Kerin Berch for the game’s opening score. The Porkers would go on to score nine goals in the opening quarter, including three from Adams and two apiece from Taylor Carter and Kate Schnieder.
The offensive barrage in the first quarter was made possible by the Porkers’ ability to maintain possession for the majority of the game. The ball did not make its way onto the Weymouth side of the field until midway through the second quarter.
Walpole finished the game with 14 goals but the first was all they would need courtesy of their shutout performance on defense.
The squad from Bishop Feehan High School gave Walpole a much more contentious game in their second matchup of the season. The Shamrocks let up just a Carter goal in the first quarter, a major drop-off from the nine-goal explosion in the season opener.
The Porkers, however, found the offense they needed while benefiting from another dominant defensive performance, holding off Feehan for a 5-1 victory to move to 2-0 on the young season.
After their dominant victory over Weymouth, head coach Jen Quinn addressed how their early season schedule will prepare her team for a deep run. “We have that expectation that every single year we’re going to make it back to the state finals,” she said. “We have a really tough non-league schedule this year… we’re seeing some teams we’ve never faced before so you don’t always know what you’re getting in to, but I know they are good, quality teams.”
The Porkers have been regular attendees at the final game of the season as of late, reaching the state final in each of the last two years, but falling just short each time. Quinn has high expectations for her senior leaders in 2023. “I have 14 seniors which is a big senior class,” she said. “Sometimes that’s hard, but they’re awesome. They’re all great and they all lead in a different way.”
