After coming off a very impressive 2006 year with just two losses, the Girls Varsity Lacrosse team, captained by Annie Boylan ’07 and Carolyn Pollard ’07, looks to continue their winning ways in the 2007 season. To begin preparing for the upcoming season, many members of the team spent the last week of Spring Break playing at Disney’s Wide World of Sports complex in Orlando, Florida. With practices every day and games at night, the team worked on stick skills, offensive plays, and conditioning. The hard work paid off when scrimmaging teams such as the Pingrey (NJ) School, Milton Academy, the Hotchkiss School, and the Denver East Lacrosse team. Ending the week with a dominating 13-6 win over Denver East, the Andover Girls Varsity Lacrosse Team finished with a record of 3-1, including a stellar come from behind victory over Hotchkiss. Co-Captain Pollard described the trip, “Overall I thought the Florida trip was amazing. It gave the team a chance to bond with each other and gave us a really good platform for our upcoming season.” With a strong start to the season in Florida, the Girls Varsity Lacrosse Team hopes to build upon the success of the 2006 season. Despite losing six Seniors last year, including collegiate lacrosse players Jevan Jamal ’06 (Colby), Alyse Kennedy ’06 (UCal Berkeley), and goalie Julie Wadland ’06 (Dartmouth), the team looks forward to the season’s challenging match-ups such as the Taft School on April 28, Loomis Chaffee on May 12, and the Brooks School on May 23. Also included in the 2007 schedule is newcomer Pingree, a local day school which should be a tough opponent as well. Co-Captain Boylan describes her hopes for her senior lacrosse season, “Honestly, I think everyone looks great, and our offense is looking awesome. Hopefully this season, we’ll continue bonding as a team and be able to come up with some big wins while improving our game.” This season, the Girls Varsity Lacrosse team will also welcome new assistant coach Emily Erickson, a 2006 third-team All-American and former defensive standout at lacrosse powerhouse Middlebury College. Both Erickson and Head-Coach Kate Dolan look to resume Andover’s success on the lacrosse field with their tremendous knowledge and love for the game. Coach Dolan noted one key for success this season will be “consistency in all aspects of play: offense, defense and transition, in addition to consistent and clear two way communication—talking and listening.” The Andover Girls Varsity Lacrosse team is excited to begin the 2007 season with their first game at home against Duxbury High School on Saturday at one o’clock.
