Receiving a lofted cross from Zoe Oasis ’17, Co-Captain Cassie Chin ’17 smashed a header past the goalie’s outstretched arms to secure a 2-0 win for Andover Girls Soccer against Lawrence Academy on Friday night. The team’s win, coupled with a 3-1 loss on Wednesday to the undefeated Worcester Academy, moved Andover’s record to 9-6-1.
Because the game against Lawrence was played under the Phelps Stadium lights, Andover was fueled by the vibrant energy of the massive crowd. Elise MacDonald ’19 said, “The crowd went wild. I had never heard that many people scream so loudly in my life. It was unreal to have that many people in the stands all cheering the team on.”
Natalia Suarez ’17 said, “Stadium games are always so exciting because there are so many people and so much energy, and I think we did a really good job using that energy to energize us and not let it distract us.”
Andover played a solid game across the field, connecting passes and creating opportunities in the midfield and stifling Lawrence attackers on defense.
Oasis said, “Our game against Lawrence was very high intensity and we worked really well together. Our midfield did a great job of switching the field and finding through balls for the forwards to run on to. Our defense had great offsides trap that frustrated Lawrence.”
Following the team’s win on Saturday, Andover faced off against Worcester, whom it had previously beat in the 2015 Nepsac finals. Unfortunately, Andover was unable to cease Worcester’s undefeated season despite playing with home field advantage.
Jordy Fenton ’17 said, “They scored early in the first half so it was a hard start, but we picked up momentum and held them off for the rest of the half.”
Worcester added its second goal to the score sheet in the second half. Andover rallied with a strike from Suarez, chipping away at Worcester’s lead before it conceded again to drop the game 3-1.
“Our second half was a lot better than the first, we scored and just played an overall better game with more confidence. Natalia scored off of a great goal assisted by Cassie, which got us excited and brought our heads back into the game. We had to overcome some obstacles and injuries and I think that from those we only played harder and stronger as a team,” said Fenton.
After losing to Worcester, the team will focus on its finishing in the offensive third.
Suarez said, “I think we always need to work on finishing because with hard teams you only get one chance and we need to be able to put it away, and we can always work on working better as a team with our midfield and defensive shape and our linkage between our defenders, midfielders, and strikers.”
To secure a playoff berth, Andover has to defeat its archrival, Phillips Exeter Academy, in the team’s final game of the regular season.
Fenton said, “The team is focusing on the Exeter game more so than anything now. We take it one game at a time and Exeter is up next, and I think we feel ready to take them on.”
Editor’s Note: Cassie Chin is a Sports Editor for The Phillipian.
