Presenting the number one team in the ISL Northeast region. That is right, after rolling over Hyde (Maine) and Holderness this week, the boys and their 4-0 record are ranked number one in the North/East/ISL league and seventy-second in the nation by www.laxpower.com. Taking on Hyde last Saturday was not what one could call an extremely difficult feat for the team. It was a game that made every player stand out and gave PA a chance to rotate its lineup. Captain Jesse Bardo ’03 displayed his usual spectacular skill level, and off of assists from Whitney Hayes ’03, Hobie Boeschenstein ’04, Tom Barron ’04, and Spencer Bush-Brown ’03, Bardo managed to score PA’s first four goals in the first quarter. The fifth goal was scored by Bush-Brown off of an assist from Hayes. The Hyde game was Bush-Brown’s first back after an ACL tear earlier this year. Unfortunately, one Hyde goal got passed by goalie extraordinaire Nate Malo ’03, bringing the score to 5-1. The second quarter brought just as much offensive success for PA. The team had some great ground ball pickups, while still maintaining tight defense and showering the opposing net with shots. A tenth goal came once again from Bush-Brown in the third quarter, an eleventh from Barron, and a twelfth from Hayes. Additional goals were netted by Dave Perry ’05, the first goal in his PA lacrosse career, and Hayes once more. Reserve Neville Williams ’05 relieved Malo in goal in the fourth quarter. In the end, with key players such as Barron, Bush-Brown, Bardo, Hayes, and Boeschenstein, the Big Blue came out on top with an overmatched 14-3 win over Hyde. Wednesday brought a slightly more evenly matched team, Holderness. The Big Blue rose to the challenge to take an exciting victory over Holderness. The first half flew by with PA showcasing their usual offensive dominance. Off assists from Doherty, Bardo, and Bush-Brown, an amazing seven goals rocketed out of Hayes’ stick, leading the Big Blue to victory. Barron blasted in another goal off an assist from Bardo. Despite Andover’s dominance on the offensive end, Holderness found holes in the Blue backline, and netted six goals of their own. The defense was strong, however, and prevented any goals in a two man down situation. Midfielders Beau Freker ’05, Harry Goldstein ’05 and Tom Hawkins ’06 played solidly. In the fourth quarter, Holderness scored its seventh goal with 4:20 minutes left in the game. The goal forced Coach John Dugan ’92 to send in Boeschenstein, hoping for him to boost the offense. With Boeschenstein in, Hayes received the game ball at the end and scored the ninth goal, and Bush-Brown scored PA’s tenth off a great set-up by Bardo. Ward commented on the game, “It was a tight game…The team played very well with the game on the line and had a great scoring streak that pulled us into the lead and made the Holderness kids lose hope.”
