Kimberly Duplessis ’27 dribbles around opponents in dominant victory against Exeter
Girls Field Hockey (16-0) beat Exeter during this year’s A/E. On Wednesday, the team squared up in its NEPSAC quarterfinals match, beating Taft 4-0. The team finished the regular season undefeated. In fact, it let in a total of four goals throughout the season. The team hopes to make a deep playoff run and repeat as champions.
The team excelled in its A/E match, shutting out Exeter and winning by a large margin. Sophia Demeo ’28 commented on the team’s performance and scoring opportunities that allowed for so many points to be scored.
“We played really well. We controlled most of the game and created a lot of good chances. We had a lot of opportunities to score, but we could’ve done a better job finishing them,” said Demeo.
Passing has been a crucial part of the team’s offense and overall style of play. On Saturday, the level of play seemed to drop in the middle of the game; however, the team bounced back to finish strong. Vanessa Hall ’28 described the caliber of play through the game.
“We came out very strong. Because it is Exeter, it’s a rivalry game. We were up 3-0 by the end of the first half. We were moving the ball well, but at some point in the middle, we weren’t passing as well as before. When we were not passing as well, we were giving them unnecessary chances, giving them the ball, and not really caring for it,” said Hall.
Andover students filled Exeter’s campus for A/E, creating a boisterous environment to support the team. According to Demeo, the number of spectators controlled the energy of the teams. Although Exeter had home turf advantage, Andover found its spirit in its audience.
“It was very hype. It was a lot of people there since it was A/E. There were actually more people than I expected there, and they were cheering. The other team was especially hyped. They had a lot of energy and were very loud,” said Demeo.
While the players had a high level of excitement and energy, they were determined to stay collected and in control. Cat Powers ’28 described the team’s calm mindset.
“The game wasn’t frantic. It was pretty calm. We went in very level-headed, ready to go, and this was our last regular-season game, so we wanted to end on a high note,” said Powers.
Key elements and standouts heavily influence the game’s outcome. Powers elaborated on the team’s performance and individual players, highlighting Hannah Herlihy ’26.
“They were very calm and did a very good job moving the ball, getting passing going. Hannah especially got our passing moving. She was very good at organizing people and also moving in her transfers,” said Herlihy.
The team played Taft for the first time this season in the quarterfinals. This caused their intensity to be high from the start, setting the tone for the game as they faced a mysterious opponent. Abigail Nager ’27 commented on the importance of their first goal and how it set the game off on the right foot.
“The first goal is a key moment, because we scored right away, which set the tone for the game, and made sure that we didn’t let them think that they were in it, even if they responded,” said Nager.
Since it was the first NEPSAC playoff game this season, the team’s excitement and energy were palpable not only during the game but also in their preparation leading up to it. Nager described how some of her teammates decorated the stadium before the game, leading to a positive game environment.
“We were really excited to play, and some of the people who had seventh period off made decorations for the stadium, posters for everyone on the team, and wrapped banisters around. It was a good environment. It was also good because more people than usual showed up to watch, so it was overall a very positive and happy environment,” said Nager.
Girls Field Hockey will play fourth-seeded Noble and Greenough in the NEPSAC Semifinals this Saturday.
