Middle School Soccer Team Off to a Good Start

Holds a strong MVMS team to a tie

September 22, 2014 • Saved under AE/MS
By Amy Makechnie, Coach
Introducing the 2014 Andover Middle School soccer team! Front: Matt Bent, Elijah Wakeman, Ryan Methven, Zachary Shipley, Nelson Makechnie, Aiden Kellogg, Lexi Emeny, Ryelle Jenifer, Victoria Braley, Hannah Asbury, Vienna Marcus, Sophia Weber, Hunter Hawks, William Furtkamp. Back: Jack Newton, Riley Keezer, Zackary Cronin, Camden Donovan, Tiegan Friedrich, Myles Powers, Devin Barton, Jared Frost, DJ Rankins, Sam Parkman, Julia Royal, Garrett Munson, Hayden Buswell, Dylan Plante, Jesse Wagner, and Coach Amy Makechnie. Photo: Christine Frost
Introducing the 2014 Andover Middle School soccer team! Front: Matt Bent, Elijah Wakeman, Ryan Methven, Zachary Shipley, Nelson Makechnie, Aiden Kellogg, Lexi Emeny, Ryelle Jenifer, Victoria Braley, Hannah Asbury, Vienna Marcus, Sophia Weber, Hunter Hawks, William Furtkamp. Back: Jack Newton, Riley Keezer, Zackary Cronin, Camden Donovan, Tiegan Friedrich, Myles Powers, Devin Barton, Jared Frost, DJ Rankins, Sam Parkman, Julia Royal, Garrett Munson, Hayden Buswell, Dylan Plante, Jesse Wagner, and Coach Amy Makechnie. Photo: Christine Frost

The Andover Middle School soccer team is off to an auspicious start! Our opening game was against Merrimack Valley Middle School, well known for their foot skills and high level of play.

The eighth graders came out strong, getting an early goal by Nelson Makechnie. The game was tied up at half time, but Camden Donovan put another shot in the net for the lead.

Goalie DJ Rankins flew left and right blocking shots, and in the end, the Andover Eagles tied Merrimack Valley. We are looking forward to a rematch on Andover’s home field on Monday, September 29.

Our second game was against Sant Bani. We were victorious, with six different players scoring. Players included Zach Shipley, Nelson Makechnie, Camden Donovan, Ryan Methven, Samantha Parkman, and Myles Powers, who headed the ball in from Jack Newton’s powerful corner kick!

Next we traveled to Newport, where many of our seventh graders had long minutes on the field, including Riley Keezer, who scored his first goal of the season. Elijah Wakeman played goalie for the second half and only let one shot in, while Jared Frost had two goals,

Samantha Parkman scored on a penalty kick, and veteran players Aiden Kellogg, Camden Donovan, and Jack Newton placed shots after a one-on-one with Newport’s goalie.

While we love winning games, our biggest strength as a team is our unity. This special group of kids hustle together, work hard every single day, and look out for each other. They are consistently kind and positive.

Looking forward to the season, we will continue to focus on foot skills, cardiovascular and strength conditioning, and playing the ball to open spaces. We love our supportive fans, their healthy snacks, and sideline cheering. Excited to catch a game? Visit AEMSeagles.org/our-school/athletics.

Go Eagles!