The Boys Water Polo team added a much needed victory to its record, when Andover crushed St. John’s Prep on Saturday with an impressive score of 18-3. Team members from the class of 2009 stood out in all regions of the pool, including Parker Washburn from the perimeter, Brendan Deveney who led the counterattack, and Captain William Faulkner protecting the goal. By the end of the first quarter, the team recognized the effective cohesion. Pushing back the St. Johns perimeter, players such as Washburn and Will Falk-Wallace ’10 used their physical strength to restrict the opponents’ shot opportunities. Rookie Andrew Fraser ’10 also consolidated the Andover defense. Playing smart man-to-man defense, Fraser pressured his player without fouling him. With a consistent defense throughout the period, Andover took a 3-0 lead by the end of the first quarter. Continuing to lead, the team ended the second quarter by a large 10-2 margin. Deveney headed the counterattack effort, out-swimming and outwitting his defenders. Washburn also scored a few goals for Andover with his powerful shots from the seven-meter mark. Philip Meyer ’08 also drove several shots into the net from the perimeter. Kevin Zhai ’08 helped set up the offensive perimeter and always squared out for the pass and hustled for loose balls. Ian Accomando ’08 increased Andover’s lead with well-timed goals in the third quarter. As Saint John’s Prep became more aggressive on defense, more ejections were called, creating many man-up situations for Andover. With one fewer player to worry about, Accomando took advantage of the opportunity. Accomando seized the center forward position and redirected a pass from the perimeter into the goal . Captain and goalie Faulkner made sure that, despite Andover’s strong defensive line, close to zero shots would get past him. Whenever a St. John’s player managed to elude the Andover defense, Faulkner always kept his eye on him, suspecting the shot. With his sharp wits, Faulkner made many impressive saves from point-blank shots. Falk-Wallace ended the game with the 18th and final goal with only six seconds left on the clock. Through a combination of offense, defense, speed and wits, Andover closed the game in an 18-3 victory. The team prepares to play Northfield Mount Hermon this Saturday.
