Algonquin T-Hawks girls make their pitch
By Ken Powers Contributing Writer
Northborough/Southborough - Equipped with a large roster - 25 players - that includes a dozen with varsity experience and nine seniors, the Algonquin Regional girls soccer team has enjoyed a successful beginning to the 2007 season, having entered the week with a 6-2 overall record that includes a 5-1 mark in the Mid-Wach League's always tough A Division.

"I feel like we have a very experienced, very talented, very deep team," first-year Algonquin coach Kim Miller said. "The starting 11, I feel, is very good, but I also feel like I can call on players off the bench and be very confident that when they go in, the team is not going to miss a beat."

The Tomahawks are led by four senior co-captains - Katie Toomy, Christine Otey, Allison Keller and Megan Lemmerman. Otey plays stopper while Toomy, Keller and Lemmerman all play mid-field positions.

"I've really been impressed with the leadership of the captains - both on and off the field," Miller said. "At practice, in the locker room. They've really provided a lot of leadership, and not just verbally, but through their actions, too."

Other seniors on the squad are goaltender Katherine Matthews, forwards Brittany Kelly and Taryn Field, and defenders Alicia Conte and Dana Clowes.

Miller, who played her high school soccer at Wellesley High and her college soccer at Mount Holyoke and Bowdoin, was Algonquin's junior varsity girls soccer coach last season. Several of the players Miller coached at the junior varsity level last year have made the jump to varsity along with her.

Among those players are juniors Samantha Abro, and Alyssa Kody, and sophomores Samantha Friday and Chelsea Andre. Abro is a center midfielder while Kody, who missed all of last season with an injury, is a versatile defender who can play several diff erent positions for Miller.

Friday is a forward while Andre plays both the stopper and sweeper positions.

"Chelsea was my sweeper on JVs and she did a great job there and she's improved since moving up to varsity," Miller said. "She's a good leader who is a confident player who is vocal and strong and clears the ball well."

The lone freshman on the team, who has played in every game so far, is forward Sarah Dahlstrom.

Friday entered the week as the team's leading scorer, having amassed 11 points (four goals, seven assists). Abro is the Tomahawks' leading goal-scorer, with six goals, to go along with two assists. Dahlstrom has also scored eight points (four goals, four assists), while Kelly has six points (four goals, two assists).

Between the pipes, Matthews has been solid, ringing up five shutouts and allowing just seven goals in seven games, four of those coming at the hands of Mid-Wach A rival Shrewsbury, which dealt Algonquin its lone league loss, 4-1.

"Overall the season is going well," Miller said. "The girls are working hard, moving the ball well, making runs at the opponent's net and getting back on defense."