After a New England Championship in the 2009 season, Andover hopes to follow suit this fall and bring home the title for the third time in four years. Last year, Andover shutout three consecutive competitors in the playoffs and defeated New England powerhouse Loomis Chaffee 1-0 in the championship game.
“We know we are going to be the team to beat this year,” Co-Captain Katherine Woonton ’11 said. “After winning the championship last season, every team is going to bring their best when they play us, and Coach Lisa [Joel] has been keeping us focused throughout practice and making sure we know we need to bring our best to be successful.”
Andover brings in a very young and talented team this season, with five Juniors and four Lowers. “I was nervous after last season ended because we were losing a lot of our players, almost half. I wasn’t sure how the team was going to look this year because I didn’t know too much about our new recruits, but now after preseason, I think the team is looking just as good as last year,” said Piper Curtis ’13.
Andover’s biggest loss was the graduation of Senior Goalie and Co-Captain Alex Farrell ’10. Andover will have to fill that hole in net to stabilize its defense.
Even though Andover has a lot of youth, it still has plenty of leadership and experience. Co-Captains Courtney Macdonald ’11 and Woonton are the focal points of the team, playing center midfield and center backfield, respectively.
“They really are the leaders of this team, both vocally and on the field. They play two of the most demanding positions, and they let everyone know what they need to do to make the team better, even in practice,” said Curtis.
Post Graduate Clare Ashforth ’10 joins the senior core of the team this year as well. “She is amazing,” said Woonton. Expertise will also come from seniors Kira Wyckoff ’11, Emily Rademacher ’11, and Ambika Krishnamachar ’11.
Andover started its season on a good note, tying Milton Academy 1-1. Andover’s lone goal came from Macdonald off of a free kick. A foul on Rademacher set up the opportunity for Macdonald’s score.
Even with the opening game out of the way, Andover is ready for anything. Both Woonton and Macdonald said, “We are going to have a target on our jerseys every single game, and we’re going to be ready.”
“We just want to take it one step at a time, one practice at a time, and one game at a time,” said Macdonald.
Andover’s next step will be taking on Rivers Friday as the team searches for its first win of the season.
