By Harry Murphy
Staff Writer
Walpole High School Senior Conor Foley signed his National Letter of Intent to University of Massachusetts Lowell on November 15, 2018.
“I have been playing lacrosse since first grade," Foley said. "It has always been something that I have loved doing."
Ever since he could tie his cleats, Foley has enjoyed the game of lacrosse, and everything that it has to offer, according to his sister, sophomore Bria Foley.
“When he was little, he was never that interested in video games, he would rather be outside practicing," Bria said.
Next fall, he will be lacing up his cleats for UMass Lowell, where he will continue to pursue his lifelong passion.
“I love lacrosse because it takes me away from reality sometimes, and I don’t have to worry about anything else," Foley said. "I just get to play, and it's just something I’m good at, which helps a lot."
Foley has played on both the high school level and a more elite level, playing on a club team every year. He said that the high school lacrosse team is different because “it’s all different grades, not just one." Foley said that he has benefited from joining both club lacrosse and the high school teams.
“[I have] learned special plays and certain offenses and defenses that [both teams] run," Foley said.
With these skills learned from the teams that Foley has joined, he has become a very versatile player.
“I mostly play tac but I also play a little middie as well," Foley said.
Tac, otherwise known as LSM, or Long Stick Middle, is responsible for defending the midfield. Typically, these players have a long shaft on their pole, but only four of these players are allowed on the field at a time. Foley’s other position, “middie”, otherwise known as midfielder, has a huge impact on the outcome of the game for their team, because they cover most of the field, for both the offense and defense. Their job is to get the ball into the opponent's zone and establish an attack, but these players are always in motion, so are often substituted.
In terms of his academic future, Foley plans to major in business at UMASS Lowell. For Foley’s family, they were very happy about his commitment. According to Foley, he could not have achieved his goal on his own.
“[My family] helped me out a lot throughout the process, so they knew exactly what my final decision was going to be, and they supported me 100% throughout the way,” said Foley.