Jordan Aucoin ’17
After securing last year’s championship title, Jordan Aucoin ’17 returned to his final season of intramural soccer in hopes of securing one more successful season. Aucoin captains the Goal Busters, a team that began the season with a rough losing streak. However, Aucoin jumped into action to fulfill his role as a leader for his team. He said, “My personal highlight of the season was stopping a horrible losing streak by taking hours to brainstorm a formation that would send us to the top. We have not lost since.” As an All-Star and a captain, Aucoin adds to the team in numerous ways and his role as captain allows him to contribute all over the pitch. “I play all over the place. I am best at defense, but scoring is fun so I often play offense. Being the captain, I can play wherever I want,” Aucoin said. The Goal Busters have thrived off of Aucoin’s stellar leadership and passionate play. With ten regular season wins and a penalty shootout semifinal victory, Aucoin hopes to lead his team to a championship game victory over Non Sibi F.C.
Aucoin said, “My goal for this season was to repeat my championship from last season and retire from the soccer world on top.”
Julia Beckwith ’17
After reaching her athletic peak as a soccer superstar in fourth grade, Julia Beckwith ’17 decided to put her career on hold in hopes of finding a more competitive league in which to develop her skills. When Beckwith came to Andover, she was pleased to find a rigorous soccer program that would allow her to reawaken some of her dormant elementary school soccer skills in the highly competitive intramural soccer league. As a proud JV2 soccer alum and a member of an intramural soccer team that endured several lopsided losses last year, Beckwith decided to take on the challenge of forming an all-girls team in her final year of intramural soccer. Beckwith said, “I really enjoyed how my team brought into question gender norms on the field. I think we made some of the other teams question their inherent biases towards female athletes, which was cool.” On the field, Beckwith can play any position due to her premier skill level, but she usually ends up playing whatever position her teammates don’t want to play. Beckwith said, “I’ll really miss my teammates – no matter how badly we lost, we always won in spirit.”
Ed Elson ’17
With his radical dirty-blonde curls held back by an elastic headband, Ed Elson ’17 has maintained his role as a key player on the Intramural Soccer Squad. Lacking the speed for a colosseum such as Smoyer Field, Elson and his teammates found his gameplay worked well on Rafferty Field, which is not quite a colosseum. Arthur Paleologos ’17 said, “Honestly, when our captain said Ed came up on the draft board, I was drooling thinking about how his immaculate techniques and voracious goal-scoring ability would translate to Rafferty. The only thing holding him back were the people defending him, and he didn’t really have to worry about that in Intramural Soccer.” A man of all positions, Elson lead his nameless team through to the playoffs where it lost its knockout game, a match Elson himself was actually unable to attend. Elson said, “The key to a successful cluster soccer game is a lot of sleep. You have to be eating well, and you have to be physically fit. There’s also an emotion mindset. You have to have grit because it can get intense playing against these people who you really like,” continued Elson.
Shoshi Wintman ’17
As a ferocious goalkeeper and fieldplayer on the intramural soccer team Girlball, Shoshi Wintman ’17 completed a final season of Cluster soccer this year with a consistently stellar play. Through her intensity both on the field and off, Wintman led her team to an astounding record of zero wins this fall. Wintman has 11 years of soccer experience and a vast knowledge of the game. Wintman said, “I played soccer from kindergarten through eighth grade, but I probably stopped improving after about the third grade.” Wintman took her talents to the Intramural Soccer league last year, and after being satisfied with the lack of energy required to participate, decided to put her superlative soccer skills to use, yet again this year. “I joined cluster soccer because I found it actually requires little to no exercise at all,” said Wintman. Although her presence on the field is undeniable, the humble Wintman credits her teammates with the success of the team. Wintman said, “Our team is the highest of functioning teams. Out of 18 girls, about eight girls show up on a good day.”
Corina Gudinas ’17
A member of team Girlball, Corina Gudinas ’17 has revolutionized the standards of intramural soccer. With 13 years of soccer experience under her belt, Gudinas entered the league with a skill level unparalleled by most. This season, Gudinas helped assemble a team of only females athletes, and the squad has been able to form a very special bond. Gudinas leads by example by bringing intensity and determination to the field, and showing up to every game. Gudinas said, “We focused a lot on just having a good time and trying to outwit each other with the jokes and make everything as hype as possible.” In a season full of ups and downs, Girlball finished with no wins and one tie. “Girlball is all about making it the best possible time no matter the score; also, shoutout [to] Coach Karissa Kang,” continued Gudinas. The team was able to summarize its entire season in a highlight video that lasted under a minute. Regardless, for Girlball, it was a season of power moves only.
Jules Gilligan ’17
Jules Gilligan ’17 plays a key role in the defensive wall of the team, Non Sibi F.C. Although he brings the most fun energy to the team, he is also well respected for his determination and work ethic. In fact, Gilligan played soccer in the renowned Andover JV program. This fantastic experience has significantly helped Gilligan in the Intramural League. Non Sibi F.C. had a tough start to the season, earning only one victory. However, the team rallied to make an amazing comeback and won five straight games, largely due to Gilligan’s speed and impressive footwork. Gilligan has been mistaken multiple times for a speeding bullet on the worn grass of Rafferty Field and consistently showed a lack of regard for human life on the defensive end. When asked about the team’s success, Gilligan said, “We play as a team, not ten guys facing the same way.” Gilligan completed his final year in the Intramural soccer league with a championship.
Eastlyn Frankel ’18
This season, Eastlyn Frankel ’18 has been making great strides as a forward, defender, and goalie on her intramural soccer team, Girlball. Frankel said, “I had switched from three sports already, and I really needed a fall sport. I heard that cluster soccer was super fun, and I didn’t want to do cross country this term, so on the last possible day I switched to cluster soccer. And I am so glad I did.” Frankel loves the team atmosphere and takes pride in the team’s persistence. When asked about one of the highlights of the season, she said, “One of the best moments was when Rosie Poku ’17 and Corina Gudinas ’17 scored two incredible goals back to back. They were both just past halfway and with perfect Beckham-like kicks, sent the ball right into the net. It was beautiful to say the least. Also one time we tied one of our games against a very difficult team.” Frankel’s energy has been crucial to the team’s success this season, especially since players on the team tended to play multiple positions. Frankel said, “In general, I enjoyed every position.”
OJ Wigwe ’17
This season, O.J. Wigwe ’17 has led the Seductive Seagulls to a fantastic record of 12-3. As one of the four Seniors on the Seagulls, Wigwe stood out among a highly competitive group of elite soccer stars this fall. His seniority on the team led him to decide to play a leadership position. His primary choice for position was goalkeeper, a complex situation in a league where he was not allowed to use his hands. One of the opposing team’s top class strikers put a shot top left in a crucial game this fall, but Wigwe stretched out his lanky leg and tipped it over the bar to save the game for the Seagulls. In fact, Wigwe has used his impressive physique, built by many afternoons in the gym, to his advantage. Manqoba Ngcobo ’19, fellow teammate, said, “Wigwe is a force to be reckoned with and puts the team on his back.” Although he will be graduating this Spring and has taken off his Seagulls jersey for the last time, Wigwe’s legend will never die.
Malcolm Essaid ’18
After having second thoughts about trying out for the JV soccer team, Malcolm Essaid ’18 decided to bring his talents to Non Sibi F.C. As a first year intramural soccer player, Essaid came into the competitive soccer environment and has since made a huge impact on his team’s performance this season. Essaid said, “It feels great to be a cluster all-star, I’m finally getting the recognition I deserve for my athletic prowess.” In his opinion, the best moment of the season was when his team defeated the Seductive Seagulls to complete their five-game winning streak. The team’s record currently stands at 7-9. Essaid stressed that his success could not have been achieved without the support of his teammates. He said, “I think we have a great team. Jules [Gilligan ’17] is one of the best defenders in the league. We’ve got a fantastic goalie with Sam Korman [’18]. Also a solid midfield lead by Ian Welsh [’17] and Alex Goldberg [’18].” Non Sibi F.C., a team full of strong and dynamic soccer players, won the intramural soccer finals on Wednesday, defeating the Goal Busters 7-3.
Anthony Redfern ’18
In his first year in the intramural soccer league, Anthony Redfern ’18 wasn’t sure how his competitive interscholastic experience and skills would translate to the more intense, finesse-driven games on Rafferty Field. His greatest fears were soon assuaged, as Redfern quickly became one of the Amost tenacious and deadly strikers in the league, sending multitudes of opposing players to the Sykes Wellness Center for ankle injuries and drilling gaping holes into the four-feet-wide nets. Redfern plays for the Goal Busters, a team that began the season with mediocrity, but has won its last six games, including a penalty shootout semifinal match. Originally known as an uncommitted slacker, Redfern has developed into an athletic weapon with hopes of leading his revered team to triumph. “He basically came out of nowhere; nobody could have expected that he went from JV1 to the best player in the [intramural soccer league],” said teammate Jackson Emus ’19. When asked about his goal total over the course of the season, Redfern said, “I lost count after 30 goals.”
