To be the best, you have got to beat the best. Last Saturday, the Andover Boys Varsity Lacrosse team had a chance to do just that, traveling to Deerfield Academy on an absolutely gorgeous spring afternoon. Deerfield, currently ranked the 13th best lacrosse team in the nation by LaxPower Magazine, certainly fit the bill as one of the best. However, despite its golden opportunity, the Big Blue was not up to the task. To put it simply, The Big Green defense completely shut down Andover’s offense. The Big Blue generated a few looks, avoiding a shutout, but could not keep up with Deerfield’s attack. Andover’s flashes of brilliance were few and far between. The hustle of Patrick Shannon ’05 off a face-off in the 2nd quarter resulted in a goal by captain Tom Barron ’04. Later into the 2nd half, Ben Weiner ’06 and Dave Wilkinson ’05 were also able to find the back of the net. However, Andover’s defense struggled to contain Deerfield’s experienced and talented offense. PA defenders showed heart and picked up several ground balls, but in the end, Deerfield was too much for Andover to handle. The final score: Deerfield 13, Andover 3. After their poor showing against Deerfield, the boys were ready to bounce back at Tabor Academy on Wednesday. Leading up to the game, Monday and Tuesday’s practices were some the most intense of the year. Each practice was focused around teaching the offense how to be aggressive, and in the end, how to score. The defense gave the offense a hard time in one-on-one’s, four-on-five’s, and six-on-six’s. This gave the boys a boost of confidence heading into Tabor. Andover rode this wave of confidence right into the Tabor Seawolves’ home. After winning the first face-off of the game, Captain Tom Barron ’04 ran straight through the heart of Tabor’s defense, driving one past the Seawolves’ goalie to put the Big Blue up 1-0. The boys followed Barron’s example with the same hustle and determination. After a hard-fought first half, the Big Blue was on top of Tabor 5-2 with goals from Hobie Boeschenstein ’04, Nick Stamas ’04, and Matt Ward ’06.
