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Education of a goalie: Konjoian emerging under the lessons of recovering Cook

Friday, May, 16 By David Willis
Staff writer

As Abby Cook took her place in the Andover High net for the first time this season late in Monday's win, closing out her road back from injury, the loudest cheers came from the player she replaced in the game, Golden Warriors starting goalie Jules Konjoian.

"No one was happier to see Abby back on the field than Jules," Andover head coach John McVeigh said. "That's the kind of kids those two are. They act as a team, not two individuals."

There was no competition between the two netminders. No goalie controversy, and no egos. There is nothing but support for one another coming from the duo that have named themselves the "goalie sorority."

"I have no idea what I would do without Abby," Konjoian said. "She knows when I need encouragement and when I need to be told what to do better. She has been amazing."

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Andover High needed a goaltender. Cook, the starter in 2007, was expected to miss most or all of the season after undergoing surgery on a dislocated shoulder suffered during basketball season.

"It was the first varsity game of the year and I was wrestling for the ball on the ground," she said. "I dislocated my shoulder for the first time as a sophomore, and had now done it 2<1/2> times, so I needed surgery."

Cook's backup from a season ago, Tameka Geaslen, was also out of the picture. The sophomore elected to play softball this spring.

Looking for an alternative, Cook placed a call to her classmate, Konjoian.

"Last year I was a field player on the JV team and, honestly, I was terrible," Konjoian said. "I wasn't even going to try out for lacrosse this season because I didn't feel like it was my sport. But then Abby called me and asked if I wanted to give goalie a try and I said I would give it a shot."

Despite that Konjoian had never played the position, Cook was confident she made the right choice.

"She didn't have any technique," Cook said. "But I knew that she would work hard and want to get better at it. She just seemed like the right person for the job."

However, the experiment did not start off on a high note.

"The first time I was shot on was little kids at a clinic where the varsity team teaches them how to play," she said. "I was even scared when they shot on me. And they were first-graders!

"At first it was really scary. I had no idea what I was doing and I was terrified of the ball. I really hated it at first. But then I started to get a feel for the position"

Cook, working on her own recovery, also made Konjoian's progress her top priority.

"Abby just took over as Jules' goalie coach," McVeigh, the Andover coach, said. "She hasn't missed a practice. It's a real testament to Abby, she has found a way to really help the team.

"You always hear them together laughing and they have a blast working together. Jules has taken this very seriously and has improved every day. She has a lot of pressure on her, and she has done a great job of handling that."

Konjoian was also quick to compliment her teacher.

"She has been so supportive of me," she said. "She's never negative, and we talk things out. She even gave me her bandana she wore every game last season as a good luck charm."

All of that work has paid off in a big way for Konjoian and the Golden Warriors.

The junior has started all but one game for Andover this season, delivering an 11-4 record. The only game she did not start was against first-year program Central Catholic.

Standing at just a "proud" 5-0<1/2>, Konjoian has accumulated a 7.9 goals-against average. She allowed just one goal to Tewksbury, four to North Andover and six to Shrewsbury. Her most impressive day may have been her 16-save performance in Andover's 9-8 loss to Winchester, the No. 5 team in Eastern Mass.

"I never expected to be a successful goalie," Konjoian said. "I just expected to do my time. But I learned you have to have confidence. I'm not saying I don't still close my eyes when (Andover star) Katelyn Caro takes a shot on me. But it's my confidence that helps me get over my fear."

Throughout the season, she has also formed a close friendship.

"I always knew and liked Jules," Cook said. "But I love her now. We spend every day together, and she is one of my closest friends. I couldn't have asked for a better person to work with. She listens to what I say, and we really understand each other."

With Cook finally returning to the field as a player, many would think the relationship may be strained. But both are confident that it will work.

"At first I thought it would be really awkward," Konjoian said. "But I can't wait to see her back on the field. We want each other to succeed. We will support each other, and coach McVeigh says he doesn't want the best goalie in the state he wants the best team of goalies."

True to form, Cook and Konjoian could be found before Monday's game warming one another up, giving each other tips on form, and sharing a few loud laughs.

"Jules has been the best person to work with," Cook said. "I felt like a part of the team helping her. Being able to work with her and teach her has made me a better goalie, too. We're not competing. We are too close for that."