RallyNorth.net

Andover vs. Acton-Boxboro, Division 1 North final

NORTH ANDOVER — Andover field hockey coach Maureen Noone has never been a fan of penalty strokes as a method for deciding games.
After Saturday’s heartbreaking Division 1 North finals loss on penalty strokes — for the second straight year to unbeaten and defending state champion Acton-Boxboro — Noone is even less of a fan.
“Big games like this should be decided in overtime,” said Noone. “You’re putting a lot of pressure on a few girls. I’d rather see another overtime.”
Another overtime probably would have been to Andover’s advantage the way it had been playing following the first half.
Trailing 2-0 at halftime, the Golden Warriors stepped up their game big time in the second half, cutting their deficit to 2-1 with 11:03 to play on a Brenna Keefe goal after a flurry in front of the net. Then they tied it up with just 1:40 remaining on a penalty shot converted by Jillian Hughes.
With the momentum on their side, the Warriors totally controlled the first 15-minute overtime, barely missing a goal on at least two opportunities, and nearly converting two penalty corners late in the second overtime. Andover dominated the final five minutes.
Hughes and Caroline Curtin in particular shined in OT. After the two 15-minute overtimes, which are played 7 on 7, it went to penalty strokes.
Curtin scored on Andover’s first attempt, but the Warriors then missed three in a row, two because of nice saves by A-B senior goalie Hayley Reierson, and the No. 1-seed Colonials converted three of four shots to seal the win and improve to 21-0.
“She (Reierson) has been the heart and soul of this team so it was great to see that,” said A-B coach Mae Shoemaker, who has won four state titles in the last decade. “This was like watching instant replay because we were ahead last year, too, they came back and then we won on the penalty strokes.
“I’m just so proud of these girls. After losing the two All-Americans to Michigan (Maggie Bettez and Leah Cardarelli), I didn’t know how we’d do this year, but the girls really came together.”
It may have been deja vu for the Colonials, but it was far from pleasant for the Warriors.
“This was tougher to take (than last year),” said Noone. “The girls showed so much character coming back and they really controlled the play. I thought in overtime we should have had another penalty shot and that could have made the difference.”
On the positive side, the Warriors (19-2-1) only graduate four seniors while A-B has nine seniors on its roster.
“We have a lot of good young players and they’re chomping on the bit to get in there,” said Noone.
The future, the past
One of the youngsters, sophomore Emma Farnham, played a particularly strong first half and classmate Hannah Littlewood was also impressive.
Andover’s seniors completed a four-year record of 66-9-9. Over the last eight years, Andover field hockey is 149-12-12 with two state titles and five appearances in the Division 1 North championship game.

Final Statement
A-B and Andover have met four times in the North finals in the last 6 years:
Year Winner     Score     State Champ
2015 A-B     2-2 (3-1 strokes)     ?
2014 A-B      0-0 (4-3 strokes)     A-B
2011 Andover      1-0     Andover
2010 Andover      2-1     Andover