In honor of Breast Cancer awareness month, Andover Field Hockey donned pink jerseys in its game against Middlesex School Wednesday, winning 3-2. Andover also snagged a victory from St. Paul’s School with a 3-0 tromping on Saturday. The game against Middlesex, which Andover labeled, “Playing for Pink,” recognized those who have battled Breast Cancer, including AssistanCoach Olivia Achtmeyer’s mother. Achtmeyer founded Runway for Recovery, an organization that hosts fashion shows to raise funds for children who have lost their parents to the disease. Nat Sohn ’11 said, “‘Playing for Pink’ was a great event; it meant a lot for both Andover and Middlesex, and it really motivated us to play hard for people who have been affected by Cancer.” Playing the pink game with the same intensity as any other, both Middlesex and Andover took the field strong. Andover kept the ball in scoring zone for the majority of the first half, but they never pushed it into the net. However, Brooke Van Valkenburg ’12 started the second half off with a smooth goal within the first three minutes to go ahead with a one-point lead. Sohn said, “Brooke had a beautiful goal, which really fired us up to keep playing.” Mari Walsh ’11 followed and sent in two insurance goals shortly after, taking Andover to a comfortable 3-0 In the final 15 minutes of the game, Andover lost some momentum and allowed Middlesex to score two back-to-back goals. Said Van Valkenburg, “It was frustrating when they scored two goals right after each other, but luckily we had a big enough lead to keep it together.” Said defender Ann Doherty ’11, “It was fun playing for a good cause, but it was even better beating a good team. We almost let them back in the game during the last ten minutes, but I was happy that we were able to pull off the win.” The previous Saturday, Andover traveled to face off against St. Paul’s. The team jumped ahead early and maintained a consistent lead, largely due to Walsh’s second hat trick of the season. Captain Kellie Walsh ’11 said, “We overcame a lot of obstacles against St Paul’s. We played on a wet grass field during their parent’s weekend; yet, we still came together for another 3-0 win which just proves the depth and heart of this team.” Hoping to add another victory to its current 6-2 record, Andover will travel to take on Class A opponent Northfield Mount Hermon this Saturday.
