Weekly Athletic Update

The Fall season will conclude on Saturday, November 11th, and NEPSAC Championships – save for Cross Country who holds their D II Championships on the 11^th – will kick off on Wednesday, November 15^th with Quarter-Final contests. Semi-Final contests will take place on Saturday, November 18 and Finals on Sunday, the 19^th.  Football Bowl games are slated for Saturday, November 18^th as well. Several WA teams are vying for Tournament slots so the final week should be fun to follow. Winter enthusiasts will welcome the seasonal change as tryouts and practices begin on Saturday. 

• Varsity Football used their bye-week to rest and heel some of their injured players and settled into a nice rhythm mid-way through the 1^st half to power past Portsmouth Abbey Saturday evening in Rhode Island. Ball control and a punishing ground attack on offense and a suffocating defense proved too much for the Ravens to handle as the Hilltoppers emerged with a comfortable road win. On Friday evening (Morse Field, 6 pm) WA (4-2) will conclude the regular season as they host Albany Academy on Senior night with a Bowl bid possibly on the line. 
  
  
• The wins are mounting on the Boys’ soccer side with a pair of 2-0 shutouts during the week. Senior goalkeeper, Dean Linden, a Providence College commit, continues his fine play directing the back line of the Hilltopper defense which has been impenetrable of late. Suffield will provide a sturdy road test on Wednesday, prior to Saturday’s regular season finale at Austin Prep (Reading, Ma). 
  
  
• Girls’ Varsity soccer, now without a blemish over the past 7 games pushed past Phillips Exeter in New Hampshire on Saturday by a 3-0 count. The team will now turn their attention to St. Mark’s on Wednesday (2:45 pm contest at New Balance) before finishing the regular season at Morse Field with a 11:30 am contest against Cushing. 
  
  
• WA’s cross-country team enjoyed a productive day in Wilbraham on Saturday, the final prep for this weekend’s D II NEPSAC Championship at Roxbury Latin. On the boy’s side both Cavan Gardner (2^nd) and Harry Martel (6^th) secured top 10 finishes and steady, Ella Budzinski finished with a 2^nd place run to lead the girls’ team.
  
  

• Varsity Field hockey scored a goal in the waning minutes of Wednesday’s game with Newton Country Day to secure a 1-1 tie. The story of the contest was the excellent work (game MVP) turned in by Hayley McNeal ’26, who filled in as the goalie for WA’s regular netminder, who suffered an injury and was unable to play. Saturday’s game at Portsmouth Abbey was another close contest as the host Ravens pulled away in the 2^nd half for a 3-1 decision. Field Hockey will host St. Mark’s on Wednesday and finish the season at Morse again on Saturday with a 2:00 pm game versus Cushing Academy.
  
  
• Volleyball played with great passion and pushed Tabor with a steady performance on Friday afternoon before dropping a competitive match on Senior day. The team will finish out the season with road contests at Lawrence Academy on Monday and at Cushing Saturday afternoon at 1:30 pm. 

• JV Volleyball dropped matches during the week against St. Mark’s on Wednesday and at home with Tabor on Friday evening. The team will look to get back on track on Monday when they travel to Lawrence Academy in Groton.
• JV boys’ soccer will also look to regroup after a tough outing with Phillips Andover as they travel to Marianapolis Prep on Wednesday for a 3:00 pm game. 

• Our Worcester Academy Middle School teams finished a very successful campaign and special note to our undefeated Co-ed Soccer team that went 8-0. Wow! Congratulations to the entire team and our coaches for this feat and to all our MS student-athletes and coaches for a tremendous season! 
  
  
  Around the Rim:
  Great work to Julie Berberian, Associate Director of Athletics, for another great season of scheduling contests and to Mrs. Card for her terrific work in managing the Transportation and Game officials each week. 
  
  
  Co-Athlete of the Week:
  Hayley McNeal ’26 – Varsity Field Hockey
   -- Jumped into the goal w/out any previous experience and helped WA FH earn a 1-1 tie with Newton Country Day School
   
  Dan Banks ’24 – Varsity Boys’ Soccer
   --PG scored a goal in each contest this week leading the soccer team to wins over Pomfret and Cushing