In 2016, Walpole Girls Lacrosse made their longest playoff run in Walpole High School history advancing to the Division 2 Finals where Norwell defeated them 12-11. Similarly, in 2017, Walpole advanced to the Division 2 Finals, but again fell short, this time to Cohasset 14-6. Moving up to Division I in 2018, Walpole Girls Lacrosse again advanced to the Division I finals where Wellesley beat them, 7-5. Using those losses as motivation, the Rebels, who are currently the number one seed in the Division 1 East section, continue to chase the elusive first Division 1 State Championship in the history of the program as they begin their 2019 playoff run.
“I most definitely think learning from losses is more beneficial than learning from winning,” Tosone said, “Although it has been very heartbreaking making it all the way to the State Championship three years in a row and losing, it has taught me resilience and that nothing ever comes easy.”
Along with learning more about hard work and determination, the Rebels believe their previous experiences in the State Final will bring them closer to the trophy.
“We now have experience that a lot of other teams have,” junior Captain Sydney Scales said, “We know what it feels like to come so close to winning only to lose, which makes us even more determined to win.”
The Rebels defeated King Philip 21-9 in the Quarter Finals on June 6, as they had a bye for the first round. The girls will play again on June 11 versus the winner of the Lexington and Lincoln-Sudbury game at Turco Field.
“It was great to get our first win of the playoffs,” Scales said, “We were a little nervous about not having played for two weeks but we got the rust off quick and played a great game overall. We are looking forward to our next game and hope to build off of the momentum we brought in game one.”
Coming into this season with 13 seniors graduated, the Rebels had younger athletes to fill these key roles. As a very young team with three freshmen and two sophomore starters, people were skeptical if their future would match their success from the previous years.
“I believe this team is very special,” senior Captain Nikki Griffin said, “We all work hard and play for one another. Nobody expected us to do as well as we did and we proved everyone wrong. Everyone on the team has a job whether it’s on the field or off and if everyone does their job during the tournament, I believe that we will be successful.”