Andover Field Hockey bested rival Exeter three to one Saturday, earning a spot in the league tournament as a number three seed, an opportunity that Big Blue capitalized on by shutting out Loomis Chafee at home in the quarterfinals. Andover took advantage of a penalty corner, where Lauren Seno ’05 blasted the ball into Exeter’s goal by the assist from Kelly Stecker ’05. Putting the pressure on Exeter early, Seno scored her second goal only six minutes into the game. Andover was able to gain another penalty corner from which Megan Montecalvo ’06 gained control of the ball and gave a beautiful pass to Seno. Seno’s two goals put Andover in a commanding position for the rest of the game and secured Seno’s position as Andover’s leading scorer. Not giving Exeter and opportunity to score for the remainder of the second half, Jevan Jammal ’06, Alyssa Hill ’06, and Annie Boylan ’07 played tremendously on defense. Also, Ale Moss ’07 and Sam Demetriou ’05 combined for a great game in Andover’s net. With possession on the center pass at the beginning of the half, Andover was able to march down the field with great passes and prefect stick handling. To finish this immaculate sequence of plays, Katherine Dix ’05 blasted the ball past Exeter’s goalie. After Exeter, the Lady Blue faced Loomis-Chaffee in a post-season tournament. Seven minutes into the game, Megan Montecalvo ’06 scored PA’s first goal. Never relenting, Andover scored another goal only 10 minutes later to give them a 2-0 lead. Arielle Filiberti ’07 was able to create a fast break which resulted in a breakaway. Kelly Stecker ’05 took advantage of a penalty shot and scored off a laser shot. The momentum was clearly on Andover’s side after this goal, but this lead caused some relaxation on Andover’s part. After halftime though, Carolyn Pollard ’07, Arielle Filiberti, and Katherine Dix ’05 reenergized Andover’s attack. To finalize Andover’s victory, Carolyn Pollard ’07 maneuvered through the Loomis’ defensive line and scored. Co-Captain Stecker later remarked about the game, “You could tell that we wanted it more, and we played our game. We were also more consistently hustling throughout the game”. With their win over Loomis in the semifinals, Andover will play on Saturday in their semifinal match up.
