Two Saturdays ago the Big Blue Boys Lacrosse team got up to play the game of the year against Loomis-Chaffee, a traditional New-England powerhouse. From the opening face off, one could easily see that the whole game would be physical and intense for both squads. Captain Tom Barron ’04 helped direct the offense in creating and finishing looks at the cage. Matt Ward ’06 utilized Barron’s direction, taking his man up top and driving to the cage one on one. His ox-like build and strong shot was able to generate four goals for the team. The defense, led by Cotton Harrold ’04, ravaged the Pelicans’ offense. Late slides extinguished Loomis’ draw and dump offense while hard hits and stellar play from Alex Bongiorni ’04 and Mason Fried ’06 helped keep the red out of the crease. Goalkeepers Matt Smith ’04 and Paul Fenstermaker ’04 had huge games between the pipes. In the end, Andover’s brilliant play resulted in a big 9-8 win. The following Wednesday, the boys played a developing Worcester Academy squad. Worcester’s boys could not stop Andover’s quick offense, and they could not penetrate the Big Blue’s defense. Smith and Fenstermaker helped produce a shutout as the final score was 19 – 0, Andover. Noteworthy goals of the game came from Alex Bongiorni ’04, who scored his first goal ever, and Peter McCarthy ‘07 and Pat Curtin ’07 generated 7 goals, scoring two and five, respectively. Feeding off of this win, the team headed to Kimball Union Academy in northern New Hampshire to play a surprisingly strong team. Barron ’04 once again helped direct the offense with Coach John Dugan’s help, generating looks and scoring opportunities. Hobie Boeschenstein ’04 played one of his best games this year, playing by the philosophy, “If you score, it doesn’t hurt.” Boeschenstein found himself being pummeled again and again on the crease, taking hit after hit, but finding the twine four times for four goals. Matt Ward ’06, playing with an injured shoulder, still managed to score 2 goals. Dave Wilkinson ’05 and Sam Kennedy ‘05 also had goals off of hard runs to the crease with shots on the run. The defense, challenged by a physical K.U.A. attack in the transition game, was still able to clear the ball well and hold them to only four goals. Harrold once again came into the spotlight with excellent man defense and getting after the ground balls. Smith had another great game directing the defense and stopping shots between the pipes. In the end, Andover triumphed, 11-4. This past Wednesday the Big Blue played Rhode Island’s Moses Brown. The first quarter was a hard fought dogfight by both teams. After the first 12 minutes of the game the score was knotted at 3. The second quarter, the Big Blue’s defense was not able to keep up with Moses Brown’s offense, allowing 5 goals while Andover’s offense was only able to generate 2 goals, leaving the score at 8 – 5 in favor of Moses Brown at the half. The second half proved to be a disaster for the Big Blue. Moses Brown’s standout goalie played an exceptional game, keeping them in the game, and Andover out. The final score was 11-5, Moses Brown. Following this tough loss, the team looks to rebound on Saturday against Choate Rosemary Hall in Wallingford, Connecticut.
