ATTLEBORO – In a rematch of one of the more dramatic finishes from last year’s state tournament, the No. 4 Walpole field hockey team made a strong case Saturday afternoon that it’s again the team to beat in Div. 1.

The reigning state champion Porkers (2-0) applied overwhelming pressure to wear down a stingy No. 8 Bishop Feehan defense, and three different scorers in the second half gave them the separation they needed to pull out a 4-2 nonleague win.

Tension from last year’s double-overtime thriller against the Shamrocks (1-1) in the state quarterfinals didn’t entirely roll over into this new season, but a win of this caliber is a meaningful start to Walpole’s title defense.

“Because we’re defending a state championship, we hold ourselves to a higher level and we really want to compete to that level,” said senior Caitlyn Naughton. “I think (this) sets the tone really high. We know what we can do, and we know that we’re capable of (executing) it.”

After trading strong quarters to head into the half tied up at 1-1, the Porkers picked up where they left off from a seven-shot, seven-corner opening frame in the third quarter to put Bishop Feehan on its heels. Shamrocks goalie Emma Mitchell (10 saves) held her own for much of the way, but Walpole kept penetrating the offensive 25 to generate activity in the circle.

Senior Kate Schneider finally ended the Porkers’ scoring drought by hitting the back left corner of the cage from the stroke line, giving them a 2-1 lead with 2:21 left in the third quarter. Then, less than two minutes into the fourth, senior Abby Poirier hustled to a lazy bounding ball and turned nothing into a 3-1 lead.

“It was that second quarter that really hurt us,” said Walpole head coach Jen Quinn. “It just shows their tenacity and their resilience to be able to sort of have that (lousy) quarter, regroup at half and come back out. … We have a lot of (gritty) kids like that, so it’s good.”

“We came in as a team during the second quarter and talked about the intensity,” Naughton added. “I think we all worked really hard together and worked as a team, and put it in the back of the net.”

That Poirier insurance goal proved crucial, with Bishop Feehan responding shortly thereafter when Sammy Logan rifled a reverse chip off the pads and Lilly Marchand crashed the rebound for a 3-2 deficit with 11:01 to go.

Those two shots were all the Shamrocks could produce in the second half, though, and Walpole’s 14th corner of the game set up Naughton for a game-sealing goal with 3:39 left.

All three of the Porkers’ goals in the second half came from seniors.

“We talk about it year after year,” Quinn said. “Abby wasn’t on the field last year. Kate was and Caitlyn was, but she was a kid that didn’t play last year and she’s risen to the occasion. They’re like, ‘OK, it’s my turn, I’m going to do what I need to do.’ It says a lot. It says a lot about them, it says a lot about the program.”

Caroline Handwerk scored first for Walpole less than three minutes into the game. Bishop Feehan staved off a barrage of corners, and settled down in the second quarter to knot things up at 1-1 on Jordi Higgins’ goal.

Walpole’s Caroline Handwerk, center, is congratulated by teammates after scoring a goal against Bishop Feehan during the first quarter of a 4-2 road win. (Photo by Paul Connors/Media News Group/Boston Herald)