Captain Evagelia Toffoloni ’15 burst into the crease and, with an athletic hop over the opposing player’s stick, slapped the ball past BB&N’s goalie while she was still in mid-air. Her teammates swarmed her, and the bench celebrated the record-breaking goal. Andover Field Hockey went on to win the game by a 4-2 margin.
With her second goal against BB&N on Wednesday, Toffoloni broke the single-season scoring record for Andover Field Hockey. She scored the most goals in a single season since at least 1990, when Head Coach Kate Dolan arrived at Andover.
As Andover’s most dangerous attacker, Toffoloni uses her agility to outwit the opposing team’s defensive end. She currently has 18 goals this season.
“[Toffoloni] is a very skilled player with great quickness, so she is very hard to defend…. It’s a huge challenge for any defender to try to match her speed and stick work,” wrote Dolan in an email to The Phillipian.
“Her stick skills are a huge asset for her individual play, as well as the team’s play. Her vision creates great passing sequences and attacking opportunities,” added Beth Krikorian ’17.
Toffoloni’s record-breaking goal came just 12 games into the season. With four regular-season games left in addition to the playoffs, she has the chance to surpass the previous record by a significant margin.
Dolan stressed Toffoloni’s selfless attitude on the field. She said, “She is completely a team-first player — how the team performs is more important to her than any goal. She would do anything to help the team be successful, and that has an enormous positive effect on the team.”
This attitude has helped elevate the entire team to a higher level of play. “She works hard every practice, every drill, and everyone feels compelled to follow her lead,” continued Dolan.
Andover Field Hockey will square off against an 8-3-0 Deerfield team on Friday, and Toffoloni will be looking to add to her record-breaking season.
