Moxie Builds Off Strong Jamboree Performance, Edges Milton by One Goal

EXETER, NH - Moxie pushed through pouring rain, soggy turf and drenched uniforms to defeat Milton Academy 1-0 last Friday, starting their 2013 campaign with a huge win.Although the team played in a jamboree the weekend before, the game against Milton marked the official start of Moxie’s season, and by the looks of it, the girls are looking forward to an exciting and promising season. With new coaches, new talent and a great set of seniors leading the team, field hockey is poised to surpass their 9-5-3 winning record of last season.“It’s a good beginning to the season; a win to start the season, like this one, definitely keeps us excited and working hard to get more wins,” lower Noa Siegel, a new member to the varsity team, said.“We didn’t let the rain rattle us, and kept our lead the whole game. We played well, although given all the talented girls on our team, I think we can play much better; it definitely won’t be our best game,” Siegel added.This team is aiming to surpass the achievement of last year’s talented squad by working harder and staying more focused. “It’s a really different team from last year. We run more and work harder,” Charlotte Haslett, one of the team’s returning seniors, said. “We’re all a lot more focused and the practices are more intense and useful to help us win games. Our defense is also much stronger than it has been ever before.”Moxie saw a stellar performance from star senior captain Hannah Wellington. She gave Big Red the lead, and the eventual difference in the game, with a goal in the first half, using a reverse chip shot to the ball past the goalie with ease. “She was being a great captain, and kept us all mentally in the game despite the conditions,” lower Lexi Butler said.In addition, senior Hannah Myers switched over to defense for the very first time and really stepped up the position, earning praise from her teammates and coaches, especially when it came to keeping opponents out of the circle. Senior Katy Kinnon had a great game as well, playing very quick on her feet and sprinting to the ball whenever she was needed.The team scored due to strong passing, but agreed that they needed to work on passing up the side lanes the field instead of getting stuck in the middle, forcing everyone to clump towards the ball. In addition Haslett and Butler agreed that the team needed to work on communicating more.“I think all of this will get better over time as we become more and more cohesive as a team,” Butler said.Moxie plays Cushing Academy this Saturday at home. The team cruised past Cushing 2-0 last year on the road, so look for another strong performance this weekend as the team looks to go 3-0 to open the season for the first time since 2008, where they fell one win short of a NEPSAC championship.“We really want to play more as a team in the future, so that’s going to be our primary goal in practice,” Wellington said. “If we can work well together, we can dominate on Saturday.