CONCORD — There was a word Walpole girls lacrosse coach Mike Tosone used to describe one of his players after a 12-8 victory over Concord-Carlisle on Monday.
Relentless.
And while, yes, that applied to sophomore Caitlyn Naughton, it could have been directed at any one of his Timberwolves.
With the Division 1 state tournament looming and looking as competitive as ever, Tosone could not pick an adjective more fitting as Walpole finds its way.
Against C-C, Naughton led the way with five goals. Fellow sophomore Sophia Fruci had three goals, and senior Bridget Welch and freshman Ava McLean scored twice apiece.
With the win, Walpole improves to 14-2, while C-C falls to 8-6.
Yes, Walpole may be young, but not totally inexperienced, as Tosone was quick to mention the bevy of two- and three-sport athletes on his team.
“They don’t get rattled,” Tosone said. “I think a lot of that is innate. So many of our girls play three sports. They’re in a competitive environment year ’round. That’s one of the million reasons why you should play multiple sports.”
“I play field hockey and a lot of the girls on my team play field hockey, basketball, soccer,” Naughton said. “I think being a multi-sport athlete helps being poised, and being able to know different things on the field, and have a different mindset when you want to switch it.”
Walpole grabbed an early 5-1 lead after giving up the game’s first goal. C-C made a few runs, especially in the second half, but Walpole was ready for the Patriots each time.
The Timberwolves took an 8-4 lead into halftime, and C-C pulled to within 8-5 early in the second half on a goal by sophomore Karleigh Mutch (four goals).
But Walpole was undaunted. Naughton and MacLean scored the next two to push the lead back out.
C-C made another run with three straight goals, from Mutch, Charlotte Skelly and Willow Cyr, but again, Walpole’s youngsters responded like veterans. MacLean and Naughton scored the last two goals of the game, Naughton, fittingly capped it with one with 5:24 to play.
Grace Groggins made 12 saves for C-C, and Walpole’s Rachel McDonough had six.
Naughton said her relentlessness is passed down from her family.
“I definitely get that from my mom and my dad and the push from my teammates,” Naughton said. “My teammates push me every day, and we all push each other to be relentless. I think my whole team is relentless, and we never give up. We always come out to play.”