With two minutes left in the second half, Co-Captain Kelly McCarthy ’16 weaved her way through a wall of Pingree defenders and fired a shot into the back of the net, scoring her second goal of the game for Andover Girls Lacrosse.
McCarthy’s goal extended Andover’s lead against Pingree on Friday, eventually proving pivotal in Andover’s narrow 9-8 victory. Although the team hoped to repeat this win, Andover ultimately lost 13-8 to St. Paul’s on Wednesday. The team’s overall record now stands at 1-3.
The team’s prolific offense overwhelmed Pingree, with several different Andover players tallying goals. Midfielder Beth Krikorian ’17 scored three goals, while midfielder Ananda Kao ’18 scored two goals. Midfielders Olivia LaMarche ’16 and Katherine McIntire ’19 each scored one goal. Goalie and Post-Graduate Olivia Golini ’16 also proved to play a key role in the team’s victory, making six crucial saves for Andover.
In an email to The Phillipian, McCarthy wrote, “Consistently winning the draws and being smart with the ball contributed most to the team’s win. On defense, we were very aggressive, causing turnovers that led to goals.”
Krikorian wrote in an email to The Phillipian, “We drove to the net well, which proved to be crucial since it was a close game. Taking advantage of one-on-one’s helped us offensively because we were able to capitalize on those opportunities. The defense was really strong and forced a lot of turnovers that turned into great transitions to our offense.”
Coming off of its victory over Pingree, Andover looked to continue its winning streak, but the team ultimately fell 13-8 to St. Paul’s.
Kao said, “We came in knowing that St. Paul’s was going to be a tough team. Many turnovers and mistakes in the first part of the game left us trailing by quite a few goals.
“Towards the end of the first half and especially in the second half everyone really stepped up and we all worked incredibly hard,” Kao continued.
Against St. Paul’s, McCarthy, Krikorian, Kao, Ashley Tucker ’18, and Meghan Ward ’19 each scored goals for Andover. However, the team’s inability to force turnovers and win draws prevented it from capitalizing offensively.
Kao said, “Our eight-meter shots improved and we fought harder for every draw and every possession. I think if we can build off of our play at the end of the game and focus on staying poised and calm with the ball we will improve even more. Draw controls are huge for us and if we can win more draws, that will directly correlate to more possessions and goals.”
In preparation for its next few games, the team will look to improve its strategy and technique during practice this week. Andover hopes to regain its winning momentum in its upcoming games against Groton on Saturday and Northfield Mount Hermon next Wednesday.
“This game against St. Paul’s showed us that we can compete with these top teams as long as we play together and we play strong the whole game,” said Kao.
