By Avonlea Cummings
Hometown Weekly Sports Reporter
As darkness shrouded the sky, the Walpole turf stage was bathed in light, setting the stage for an exciting evening match. The hosting Walpole field hockey team faced off against the Westwood Wolverines, creating the perfect backdrop to witness both teams demonstrate their skills, determination, and teamwork. The Porkers emerged victorious, concluding the night with a 4-1 score.
As the initial whistle marked the start of the competition, Westwood exhibited power and hunger. The Porkers, having just completed a demanding two-and-a-half-week schedule, were gradually finding their momentum. Westwood's Katherine Krumsiek made an impactful play, scoring the first goal against the Porkers with just ten seconds remaining in the quarter, giving the Wolverines a 1-0 lead.
In the second quarter, Westwood swiftly established a robust defense, making it challenging for Walpole to breach their defensive lines and execute block tackles. Amid the commotion in Westwood's defensive end, a whistle sounded, and a referee signaled a penalty stroke opportunity for the Porkers. Walpole's senior captain, Kerin Birch, faced off against Westwood's goalie, Moira Kenneally, and successfully found the back of the net, boosting the Porkers' momentum and energy. Walpole went on to score another goal in the second quarter and two more in the third. The fourth quarter concluded without additional scores on either side, despite Westwood's multiple opportunities and bursts of energy, leaving the Wolverines just short of the Porkers.
Head coach Emily Taylor expressed satisfaction with the girls' efforts and their intensity throughout the match. She particularly emphasized her pride in the team's resilience and their commitment to playing the full 60 minutes, even in the face of challenges. She also noted the excitement of securing the first goal of the evening.
“The past couple of weeks have been a bumpy road for us so getting that first goal was really amazing, I think we got really really excited and got defensive to keep that lead but, in the end, I think we got too defensive because we weren’t in the positions, we needed to be in to score. I think we came in with the mentality of ‘we can do this; we can beat any team we face this season’ I think it was a mix of that mentality and connecting passes. We’ve been trying to talk about the last couple of weeks that it can be so easy when we are in the right positions, picking our heads up, and finding space, I think we really proved that to ourselves today,” said Taylor.
It was a phenomenal performance all around from the Westwood Wolverines as they challenged Walpole, and it was great to see both highly talented teams compete. Head coach Taylor shared some key players she thought did outstanding throughout the evening’s competition.
“I think Moira Kenneally, our goalie is a sophomore, she is super tenacious, just incredible. Emilie Demaio on the side is so reliable on the right side and such a workhorse, Ava Kelly in the back also super reliable she could play a whole game, they really make such a big difference.”
Westwood will host Wachusett High on Friday, October 20th and the game is set to start at 4:30 PM.
