Sports

Captain Emily Little ’09 Athlete of the Week

Co-Captain Emily Little ’09 returned from a sprained ankle to tally a hat trick against Choate in Andover’s 4-1 win. Little has been the cornerstone of Andover’s attack all season. Her explosiveness and knack for the goal has led her to be one of the most prolific scorers in New England Prep soccer this season. Q: How has being a four-year varsity player prepared you for this season? A: I think most importantly is that I can relate to freshman on the team now. I was the only freshman on the team, and it was definitely a unique experience. Understanding this experience has allowed me to reach out to freshman players. Q: How do you manage playing club soccer while at Andover? A: I play for a club called Tri-Valley, and most of the girls are ISL players. The majority of our team goes to Nobles. The team is a lot of fun, but it definitely is tough playing club while managing work. I can’t make all the practices, but I go to all the games and it definitely helps me stay in shape for the season. Q: How come your team has a different psyche before every game? A: I hate the psyches. I think they’re tacky and obnoxious and have not participated in a psyche in my time here, even as Captain! In all seriousness, I don’t like psyches in general because I think they draw unnecessary attention to teams. Q: If you could add one trait to your game that you don’t already have, what would it be? A: If I could only add one thing, it would probably be endurance so that I could play the full 90 minutes a little more easily. Q: What’s the worst part about being a Captain? A: The worst part is definitely how the younger kids call me all the time. They call me at the most obscure hours and won’t even be calling for a reason! Whenever I hear my room phone ring, I know it’s an underclass girl on the soccer team. Q: What’s your most important goal that you have ever scored? A: My goal in last year’s 1-0 championship win. It was the beginning of the second half and a cross came swinging towards the center. A Loomis defender got to it and tried to play it back to the keeper, but it wasn’t hit hard enough. I sprinted past the defender and got to the ball before the goalie could and just passed it into the back of the net. Definitely not my prettiest goal ever, but certainly my biggest.