A special rivalry between Andover and North Andover High field hockey had an even deeper meaning on Friday night.
Before the start of a terrific 2-2 contest played before a large crowd, the two teams honored “Morgan’s Message,” which is a 501 ©, “that strives to eliminate stigma surrounding mental health within the student-athlete community and equalize the treatment of physical and mental health in athletics.”
“The players approached the game with passion and purpose, as (late former Duke player) Morgan (Rodgers) would have wanted,” said North Andover head coach Andrea Van Horn
Andover head coach Bridget Morris added, “The kids had a great time before the game highlighting the importance of student athlete mental health with ‘Morgan’s Message.’ It’s always nice to get together with another team in our league for such important causes for all our players.”
North Andover took the lead on a goal scored indirectly off a corner with Kylie George putting a loose ball home.
Andover came right back as Caroline Vaughn set up Bella DiFiore, who used a reversed chip shot to notch her 50th goal of her career.
The Scarlet Knights took a 2-1 lead in the third quarter as Hannah Mazzocchi tipped in a shot off a corner.
Then in the fourth with about eight minutes remaining, Avery Pitts scored on an assist from DiFiore to tie the game up at 2-2.
“The final eight minutes were full of cheering from the benches and fans, while both teams gave it their all on the field,” said Van Horn. “In the end, the game remained a tie. Yet, everyone was a winner because they walked away having watched a tremendous match, and were reminded that normalizing mental health in sports is empowering.”
Bea made seven saves, while, Andover goalie Lucy Baker made three saves.
“It was a hard fought battle between both teams,” said Andover coach Bridget Morris.