In a physical match with perennial powerhouse Loomis Chaffee, Andover Field Hockey secured a dominating 3-0 victory under the lights last Friday night. After a tough loss against Lawrence Academy last week, Andover came into the match seeking revenge against a Class-A rival. Adjusting to Loomis’ physical style, Andover held even throughout the first half, with solid defense and aggressive offense. Later in the half, Brooke Van Valkenburg ’12 assisted Co-Captain Summer Washburn ’11 in scoring to take a one goal lead. Washburn said, “Brooke gave me a perfect pass, which made the point easy, and then I think we really picked it up in the second half.” After Andover made the first dent in the scoreboard, the team’s excitement carried it the rest of the way. Coach Kate Dolan said, “Once we took that collective deep breath and relaxed, we passed and moved, our movement created energy and momentum, we connected, we trusted and believed in each other and nothing but good things happened.” Mari Walsh ’11 doubled the score in the second half, sending a soaring shot above the goalkeeper’s hands and into the back of the net. With the momentum on their side, Andover dominated possession keeping the ball in the offensive half of the field for most of the second half. Andover capitalized when Greer McBeth ’12 redirected a pass from the corner to Washburn for her second goal of the game. Led by Co-Captain Kellie Walsh ’11, Andover’s defense remained dominant, preventing Loomis from making a comeback and securing the 3-0 victory. Co-Captain Shannon McSweeney ’11 said, “Loomis was a good game because we stayed poised. Even though they were rough and had a different style from what we are used to, we did a great job sticking to our goals and playing our game instead of giving them back their sass.” Looking ahead to the upcoming games, Andover plans to focus on working as a unit. On the defensive side of the game, players hope to improve hunting in pairs and teaming up against the opponent in possession of the ball. Offensively, Andover will continue to work on passing to space, which will require players to be more aware of how to position themselves in relation to each other. On Friday, Andover will square off on home turf against the competitive Brooks School. Andover plays Tabor Academy on Saturday.
