Admittedly, Alex Bengston is as outgoing as they come.
She's not quite at Jonathan Papelbon's level yet, but she isn't afraid to let loose. Just ask her.
"I talk a lot," she said, "so people know a lot about me."
Jess Morrow, on the other hand, works silently.
"She directs things quietly," Andover High girls coach Meghan Matson said.
The pair of junior midfielders may be different, but they've been invaluable this fall. Morrow (15) and Bengston (13) have combined to score 28 goals for the Golden Warriors, who enter the state tournament at 13-3-2.
"It's incredible how they find each other out there," senior Katelyn Caro said.
Morrow, whose spectacular crosses routinely land at Bengston's feet, was named Merrimack Valley Conference Large Player of the Year for her efforts.
"We balance each other out," Bengston said. "I'm more aggressive, she's more passive. We're a good combination in the middle."
Matson said their styles are similar. Bengston is simply more demonstrative.
"You can see her intensity in her face," Matson said.
It stems from Bengston's younger days, when she took on her two brothers in the backyard. Tim, 21, and Matt, 24, never went easy on her. Tim was a two-time Eagle-Tribune All-Star who now plays at UMass Lowell. Matt was an Eagle-Tribune All-Star in 2001 who enjoyed a fine career at Division 1 Elon.
"They never let me have the ball," said Bengston. "I played a lot of defense."
She also learned to speak up, which is something she isn't afraid to do now. She's constantly chattering with her teammates, helping direct them on the field.
"I'm very opinionated," she said.
There were times, she added, when her vocal on-field persona rubbed some of the upperclassmen the wrong way in the summer of 2006. After all, she was an up-and-coming sophomore without much experience.
Then, the season started and the resentment dissipated.
As sophomores, Bengston (10) and Morrow (14) combined to score 24 goals. Both made the first-team All-MVC squad and Morrow was named an Eagle-Tribune All-Star.
She's not quite at Jonathan Papelbon's level yet, but she isn't afraid to let loose. Just ask her.
"I talk a lot," she said, "so people know a lot about me."
Jess Morrow, on the other hand, works silently.
"She directs things quietly," Andover High girls coach Meghan Matson said.
The pair of junior midfielders may be different, but they've been invaluable this fall. Morrow (15) and Bengston (13) have combined to score 28 goals for the Golden Warriors, who enter the state tournament at 13-3-2.
"It's incredible how they find each other out there," senior Katelyn Caro said.
Morrow, whose spectacular crosses routinely land at Bengston's feet, was named Merrimack Valley Conference Large Player of the Year for her efforts.
"We balance each other out," Bengston said. "I'm more aggressive, she's more passive. We're a good combination in the middle."
Matson said their styles are similar. Bengston is simply more demonstrative.
"You can see her intensity in her face," Matson said.
It stems from Bengston's younger days, when she took on her two brothers in the backyard. Tim, 21, and Matt, 24, never went easy on her. Tim was a two-time Eagle-Tribune All-Star who now plays at UMass Lowell. Matt was an Eagle-Tribune All-Star in 2001 who enjoyed a fine career at Division 1 Elon.
"They never let me have the ball," said Bengston. "I played a lot of defense."
She also learned to speak up, which is something she isn't afraid to do now. She's constantly chattering with her teammates, helping direct them on the field.
"I'm very opinionated," she said.
There were times, she added, when her vocal on-field persona rubbed some of the upperclassmen the wrong way in the summer of 2006. After all, she was an up-and-coming sophomore without much experience.
Then, the season started and the resentment dissipated.
As sophomores, Bengston (10) and Morrow (14) combined to score 24 goals. Both made the first-team All-MVC squad and Morrow was named an Eagle-Tribune All-Star.
Both play club soccer in the offseason and both hope to play in college, wherever that might be.
Thankfully for Andover, that's more than a year away.
Robinson's neighborhood a happy place
Bree Robinson didn't expect this. She figured Pinkerton wouldn't be contending for a Class L title this fall.
"Truthfully," the senior striker said, "I thought next year was going to be a great year."
Somehow, the eighth-seeded Astros found a way to march through the tourney and into the state final, which will be played Saturday (2:30 p.m.) against No. 2 Exeter.
The University of Hartford-bound recruit, who missed six games this season with a severe ankle sprain, has watched her team persevere through an inconsistent (8-7-1) regular season.
The Astros have marched through the tourney on a mission, outscoring their opponents 8-2 in three games.
"It's amazing," said Robinson, whose club is in the Class L final for the second time in three seasons and the third time in the 28-year history of the tourney. "We're very young and inexperienced. During our season, we lost here and there, but it seemed as if we were progressing each and every game."
Robinson scored a goal - her 13th of the season - in the Astros' 2-1 state semifinal win over Manchester Memorial.
"It was a fun thing to watch," Robinson's father Dean said. "It's a great thing."
It was especially rewarding for Robinson, who got antsy on the sideline while nursing her ankle sprain. She returned before the tournament began to provide the spark her team needed.
"I was pretty anxious to get off the bench," said Robinson, who scored a goal in the 2-1 win over No. 1 Manchester Central in the quarterfinals.
The Astros will be counting on her Saturday against the defending Class L champions for sure.
"As a team, we're known as the underdogs," she said. "We just wanted to go out and show everyone we're a better team."
Alan Siegel is a sports writer at the Eagle-Tribune. E-mail him at ASiegel@eagletribune.com.
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