Molly Boyle ’25 takes a passionate hit against the BB&N Defender.
10/19 – Andover: 11, NMH: 0
10/23 – Andover: 6, BB&N: 2
Field Hockey (12-0) gained two more wins with its games against Northfield Mount Hermon (NMH) and BB&N, continuing its undefeated record. So far, the team has scored 17 goals, while only letting in 2. The team traveled to NMH on Saturday, returning with a massive victory (11-0). They came out victorious once again on Wednesday in an away game against BB&N (6-2).
In the game against NMH, Wendi Wei ’27 praised her teammate Hannah Herlihy ’26 for her excellent stamina and strong performance in the defensive unit, where she was a crucial figure especially in defending against corners.
“Along with lots of good passing plays, our center-back Hannah played the whole time, and it must have been really tiring since, unfortunately, we had a lot of corners against us. She was calm and composed the whole time and was able to get the ball out well. She was an essential part of our defensive line,” said Wei.
Regan Driscoll ’28 also highlighted a memorable goal, a result of an impressive play by Kimberly Duplessis ’27, Vanessa Hall ’28, and Molly Boyle ’25.
“In the game against NMH, there was one really good play between Kimmy, Vanessa, and Molly Boyle and maybe some others, but they made really good passes up the field and it led to a great scoring opportunity for us,” said Driscoll.
In preparation for the game against NMH, Driscoll described the different training methods and drills the team worked on during practice to improve its game. The team focused primarily on game situation scenarios, moving the ball more frequently, and refining its overall stick skills.
“We worked hard in practice all week, and we worked on moving the ball to create opportunities. We worked a lot in practice on our defensive corners, which helped us maintain a shadow throughout the game because they did have offensive opportunities,” said Driscoll.
To prepare itself for the game against BB&N, the team specifically tailored its practice to what would be necessary to beat their opponent. Wei shared how the team improved its game around the circle, both defensively and offensively, anticipating BB&N’s speed.
“We know how they play, so we worked on how to mark the circle because they have very fast players. Using how we played from NMH, we are looking forward to using that to determine how to work our play for BB&N,” said Wei.
In the team’s game against BB&N on Wednesday, Maren Boyle ’26 commended Ellie Parker ’25 for her remarkable saves. Despite the team’s struggles in the first quarter, which ended in a tie, its adaptation to BB&N’s playing style significantly factored into the team’s later success.
“Ellie made a really good save in the first five minutes where she came out and slid and dove at the ball which was really good. We had a hard first quarter because they came out super strong, so we were kind of just adjusting to how they played. But we got through that and then had a really good rest of the game,” said Maren Boyle.
Wei also described the team’s buddy system, where, each week, players write cards to their buddy with loving words of encouragement as a way to foster a tight-knit community off the field.
“We support each other by giving good talks, especially lots of positive talks. We have lots of hype and hype each other up. We have this thing called buddies, and we can write cards to our buddies saying that you’re doing really well and more,” said Wei.
In addition to the buddy system, the team’s supportive co-captains create an exciting yet caring environment for one another. After each goal, the team celebrates both the passer and goal scorer for their performances.
“We had really good support from our captains. We always cheer for each other after each goal after each really good play. After we score, we do a big hug, and we celebrate the person who passed the ball and the person who scored. At half time, we do a special cheer with a little song. I love that everyone feels like my friend on the team, and it’s super fun to play with them and you can talk to them as a friend. It’s really nice to have the same connection on the field as well. I am super excited for the rest of the season and to see how we do,” said Boyle.
The team will face Deerfield at home on Friday and away against Noble and Greenough on Wednesday.
