After clinching the 2015 New England Preparatory School Athletic Council (Nepsac) Championship last season, Andover Field Hockey looks to defend its title with a successful 2016 season.
Andover’s dominant 2015 playoff run was propelled by Senior stars such as Post-Graduate (PG) goalie Livy Golini ’16 and Captain Kelly McCarthy ’16. To fill the gaps left by these graduated Seniors, Andover has brought in a talented group of newcomers.
Goalies Olivia Keefe ’17 and newcomer Alexa Matses ’18 displayed their skill in a 1-1 tie against Rivers School in a scrimmage last Saturday.
“[Matses and Keefe] both stepped into goal not having played before and everyone’s really grateful for that. They both saw a lot of shots, both made really good saves, [and they’re] really [on their way toward] becoming our power players,” said midfielder Emily Batchelor ’19.
In the midfield, new Lower Kelly McCarthy ’19 is an up-and-coming powerful addition to the roster despite never playing field hockey before.
At the helm of the team’s leadership is Captain Beth Krikorian ’17. An experienced center-midfielder as well as a confident leader, she will play an essential role leading Andover to another successful season.
“[Krikorian] dominates [the field] and sets up [good] passes for everyone [as well as scoring] for herself,” said defender Jackie McCarthy ’19.
Like last year’s field hockey team, the athletes look to end the season with another near-perfect record. However, the coaches and the players are focusing on each individual game and not on the past.
Batchelor said, “When I was a freshman, the team before us had not lost a game. We went into the season, fresh start, didn’t think about the team [before us], and that really helped with our success. I think this year, it’s [still] important for us to focus on what’s ahead, not the past.”
Coming off of a 2-0 win over St. Mark’s, Andover enters its third game of the season against Thayer Academy with a 1-0-1 record.
