SALEM NEWS 2023 FIELD HOCKEY PLAYER OF THE YEAR
ALEXA BLAESER
Pingree Sophomore
Forward/Midfield
There are times when great players must rise up and elevate not only their own games, but those of their teammates when the stakes are highest. That’s exactly what Alexa Blaeser did for the Highlanders this fall.
The 10th grader from Boxford had an excellent overall campaign, leading her team in both goals (16) and total points (26) while starting the entire season at either forward or midfield. She was the team’s go-to on offensive corners while also making critical stops defensively.
But she was truly at her best in the postseason, where Blaeser not only led Pingree to its second straight New England Prep School Athletic Conference (NEPSAC) Class C championship, but scored the game-winning goal in all three contests. An underdog in each game that they played as the No. 7 seed in an 8-team draw, Blaeser had the only tally in a 1-0 win over second seeded Newton Country Da, then had the decisive marker in a 2-1 semifinal triumph over No. 2 Kimball Union.
In the Class C title game the following day, Blaeser had perhaps her best and most complete game of the season by scoring twice (including the GWG) and assisting on Pingree’s other goal in a 3-2 victory over top seeded Greens Farms Academy. She wound up being chosen both All-NEPSAC and All-Eastern Independent League.
“Alexa is insanely crafty, difficult to stop, and has a slew of shots including a reverse chip, back space shot, chip and lift,” Pingree head coach Jen Richardson siad. “She was 100 percent at scoring on strokes, too. When we need someone to get the ball upfield, we find her.”
Blaeser is hoping to continue her field hockey days at a high level athletic and academic school when her high school days are over. She said that her family, all of whom are very athletic, have served as great influences to her as far as the effort they put into their respective sports.