Girls Lacrosse Sports Spring Sports

GVL: Comeback Against Tabor Just Falls Short

After falling behind by a 9-1 margin in the first half of a game against Tabor, Andover Girls Lacrosse came out firing in the second. It netted seven goals while allowing two, making the game far more competitive than anyone expected.

Although the comeback effort fell short, there were many positive takeaways from the game. Andover now sits at 2-7-1 this season after a loss to Tabor 8-11 and a draw against Milton 11-11.

“I think what turned around the Tabor game for us was the frustration that we’ve all collectively felt about the previous games we’ve had this season, where we’ve been playing really well and then we lose it in the second half,” said Kelly McCarthy ’16.

The teammates on the sideline cheered so loudly that one of Tabor’s managers complained on behalf of his coaches about the noise to Andover’s managers. Andover and its fans responded by raising their volume, since it seemed to be helping with the team’s morale. The team found an extra burst of energy that changed the course of the game.

Head Coach Martha Fenton said, “Saturday’s game was definitely the tale of two halves. It seemed that we weren’t willing to challenge Tabor for the loose balls in the first half and that made for a tough 25 minutes. Draw controls and successful offensive possessions in the second half allowed us to get some momentum going, which was all we really needed.”

Defender Tessa Peterson ’15 added, “We had a ton of heart in the second half.”

Andover spread out its eight goals and two assists over six players, a testament to the high level of teamwork that the team has developed during the season.

Attackers Eliza Quigley ’15 and Hannah Burns ’15 each scored two goals. Beth Krikorian ’17, Captain Caroline Garrity ’15, Olivia LaMarche ’16 and Susie Pratt ’16 each netted one goal. Additionally, Krikorian and Garrity both tallied assists.

On Wednesday, Andover traveled south to take on Milton in its tenth game of the season.

Andover tied Milton in regular time 10-10, and the two teams battled for victory in overtime.

A quick overtime goal from Andover gave it an 11-10 lead, but Milton responded not long after. At the end of overtime, the score was still tied, 11-11.

The team played the last couple minutes of overtime one man down. Garrity was sent off with a yellow card with 1:46 left in the game.

Lauren Overly ’17 said, “We had some good looks, but didn’t end up scoring. Although we couldn’t get another goal, our defense did an awesome job even while man down.”

Newcomer Ashley Tucker ’18 scored her first goal this season, adding on to her three assists from previous games.

On Saturday, Andover will face-off against a Loomis Chaffee team with an 8-3 record in its last home game of the season. Then, the team will travel north on Wednesday to square off against Thayer.