On Wednesday, Andover beat rival Exeter for the first time in eight years. The victory was monumental for Andover’s program, as Exeter is always one of the league’s top teams. “The girls really worked hard in this game,” Coach Cindy Efinger said. The pace of the game started slowly. However, soon the game turned into a battle of speed “Both teams brought equal amounts of speed and technique into the pool,” said Captain Kimbo Chang ’08. Exeter scored the first goal a couple minutes into the game. But Annie Glancy ’09 quickly responded with a goal to tie the game 1-1. As the game progressed, the score remained fairly equal. Exeter showed its aggressive strength, but Andover fought right back. At halftime the Andover team built up its excitement and energy. Coach Efinger encouraged the girls, “Don’t back down. Keep up the same good momentum and we can beat these guys.” Andover continued working together but Exeter did not back off. The game’s intensity mounted. With three minutes left on the clock, Andover held the lead 8-7. After a brief time-out called by Exeter, the Exeter team shot and scored another goal to tie the score. After a minute of play, Andover called its only remaining time-out to reassure the team and make a winning plan. With a minute left, Andover took the ball towards Exeter’s goal. The team pulled together and used its best offensive skills. Jill Kozloff ’09 shot the ball, which rebounded forcefully off of the goalie. Glancy scooped up the ball and swiftly and accurately slammed it into the back of the net. The buzzer, signaling the end of the game, sounded shortly; Andover had won 9-8. Andover girls in the water rejoiced by hugging and splashing in the water. On Saturday the girls beat Williston North Hampton 10-6, in Andover’s first home game of the season. Andover kept pushing Williston throughout the game with its superior swimming and ball-handling skills. Becca MacRae ’09 had a notable showings, with several goals each. The team looks to keep its winning streak as it heads into two more games on Saturday.
