The Andover Girls Waterpolo Team is hungry to improve on last years’ fairly disappointing season record of 7-9. Cindy Efinger is returning as the head coach of the team with the help of newcomer assistant Catherine Carter, who was also assistant coach of the Girls’ Swim Team. 2005 team roster was dominated by underclassmen with little playing experience; practically half of the team was comprised of juniors. However, the core of last year’s team was exceptionally talented, and is mostly returning this year; although three seniors graduated from the class of 2005, only two of them were starters. However, the loss of two of its standout players isn’t putting a damper on the team. Led by Co-Captains Parla Alpan ’06 and Emily Brenner ’06, the team is returning the Chang dynasty, Kelly ’07 and Kimbo ’08, to the starting lineup, along with six other experienced players eager to delve into the season. Among those six players includes goalie Amy Fenstermacher ’07, who looks to fulfill Kathryn Uhl ‘06’s coveted goal-saving spot, and defensive player Devon Zimmerling ’07, who ravenously stops balls by any means. Sarah Pucillo ’08, Caitlin Feeney ’08, Liz MacMillan ’08, and Lily Bowers ’08 are all returning and will bring depth and experience to the squad. This year’s team boasts much more experience and many talented newcomers. Speaking of newcomers, Amy Prosper ’06 joins the Girls’ Waterpolo Team with an athletic background and an especially strong throwing arm from softball, despite having no previous water polo experience. Prosper is tentatively set to play the goalie position, although she would be a great asset on the field as well. Although numbers of freshmen signed up to play are high, the level of talent isn’t by any means sparse. Many of these underclassmen players have shown great potential and a natural aptitude for handling the balls. Despite the disappointing record, the team has a lot to be proud of from last year. Notably one of Andover’s best qualities was team unity and communication among players during the games, especially in the defensive precinct. Coming out of two promising wins against Worcester and Deerfield at the start of last season, the Andover girls had a slight droop in aggressiveness and confidence by mid-season, accompanied by frustration from the grueling games. Offensive shooting difficulties and various rules that Andover was rumored to have violated contributed to the losing streak. The team hopes to make it into the A tournament, which singles out the top four teams in the prep school league. Last season, the team was only able to play in the B tournament due to the mid-season spirit slump which dropped them from a reputable fourth-place seed. Yet, the team was seeded fifth out of ten teams and was ranked first in the B tournament division. The gains seem to outweigh the losses for this upcoming season, so the team’s view is optimistic. As Co-Captain Emily Brenner ’06 expresses, “Last year was a fairly tough year for our team because most of our players were new to the sport. However, this year, with the number of returning girls as well as many more new freshmen added to the team, I think that we have a lot of potential to go far and hopefully make it to the A tournament this season.”
