Div. 1 field hockey: Walpole evens score with Andover

WORCESTER – Four straight matchups between the Walpole and Andover field hockey teams in the Div. 1 state final has taken its place in MIAA history as one of its most notable rivalries in the sport.

Consider it even now, too.

With a 2-0 win over the fourth-seeded Golden Warriors in yet another battle for the title at Worcester State on Saturday, the No. 2 Porkers completed their unbeaten season (22-0-1) and repeated as state champions after losing to Andover in the 2021 and 2022 state finals.

Kate Schneider and Sophia Fruci tallied the goals in a game the Porkers dominated most of the possession in, firing both past a sensational performance from Golden Warriors goalie Lucy Baker (14 saves) in the first quarter.

Andover’s defense also weathered 20 penalty corners on the night, but it wasn’t enough to prevent Walpole from repeating as state champions for the first time since 1998-1999.

“Each year I’ve been blessed to be on this team and been blessed to play in the state championship,” said Caitlyn Naughton, a four-year starter. “The first two years obviously didn’t go our way, but I wouldn’t want it any other way to end my field hockey career. … It just shows the growth with every single person on this team.”

“It’s huge, now it’s 2-2,” added Emily Hagan, who assisted the first goal. “(Andover) got the first two, we got the last two. It’s huge.”

Slow starts characterized the last few games leading up to this one, but Walpole fired on all cylinders to set a different tone with the program’s 14th state championship on the line.

After applying pressure for several minutes to no avail, Hagan found space at the right wing to make a play. She sent a feed to the middle, and Schneider – who tallied a point in all but one game this year – finished off the goal.

Less than a minute later, Fruci capitalized on a corner to extend the lead to 2-0.

“Right from the start, I knew,” said Walpole head coach Jen Quinn. “They came out hot and on fire. Their speed was just unmatched at a level we haven’t seen all year because they went at that speed and never stopped.”

“We’ve had some slow starts kind of during the playoffs, and not scoring right away has made frantic play,” Hagan added. “Going in, we were like, ‘Let’s score quick, let’s get calm and play level-headed from the start.’ … The momentum showed right away.”

Andover started each of the second and third quarters off hot in response, applying some pressure for a couple minutes. But Walpole, just like it had all year, used its speed and support defense to snuff out any opportunities and prevent a shot on goal all night.

“We started kind off the year a little, I don’t want to say inexperienced, but there was a lot of changes and there was a lot of new,” Quinn said. “We weren’t sure how the defense as a whole was going to pan out, and we sort of adopted this no-shot mentality. It stuck. … That’s a testament to the whole team. Just how they have each others’ backs.”

“They are truly, truly relentless,” she added. “And just extraordinary athletes.”