The Boys Varsity Soccer Team’s six-game winning streak came to a halt Saturday as the team endured its first loss of the season at Choate, 2-0. The Boys proceeded to lose 3-1 to the Winchendon team on Wednesday. Andover controlled the ball for most of the first half against Choate. However, the team did not take advantage of several opportunities to send the ball into the net. The score remained tied, 0-0, at the half. In the second half, Choate’s first goal came off a PA defender. As he attempted to clear the ball from the six-yard box, the ball flew past Andover’s goalie and into the net. Within minutes of that goal, Choate executed a play from a corner kick that scored its second goal of the game. The Big Blue desperately tried to get itself back into the contest, but failed to mount an attack quickly enough to score before the buzzer sounded. “It was a frustrating loss because we played better than Choate and had more opportunities to score then they did. Especially after last year [when Andover lost to Choate 4-1 at home], the upperclassmen were disappointed. But it is our first loss of the season, so we have plenty of time to get it together,” said Mike Donelan ’08. On Wednesday, the Big Blue got an early head start when John Tarson ’05 scored in the sixth minute of the game on an assist from Justin Wu ’06. Andover held its 1-0 lead until a Winchendon player tied the game on a free kick right before the end of the first half. Winchendon’s enthusiasm carried into the second half; the team came out fired up and ready to play. They scored two more goals without a response from the Big Blue, and finished the game with a 3-1 victory. “They proved to be too much,” said Co-captain Nate Scott ’05. “But I would definitely say that they are the most talented team in New England and we played a good game against them, so that’s good for us. At the end, Coach Scott described them as a ‘good college team’. I agree that that is a very accurate assessment of Winchendon.” In a sport where receiving yellow cards are rare events, this game had five. On both sides, the teams played physically tough and fought hard. “They had the advantage – eight Polish kids and a few other foreign players,” said Mike Spiak ’06. “If we play that well against any other team in New England, we will win every game. I can’t wait to play a rematch with Winchendon in the finals.”
