This past Saturday, Spencer Macquarrie ’10 and the Andover defense shut out archrival Exeter, as Andover rolled to a 3-0 victory. Andover was able to apply pressure the entire first half. Possession went back and forth in the early part of the game with both sides looking for good opportunities. At the five-minute mark, Andover received its first quality chance of the game when Mike DiFronzo ’11 fired a shot from 20 yards out towards the bottom left corner. The Exeter goalie punched the ball out, keeping the game even. Exeter received a strong chance of its own at the 10-minute mark. An Exeter player received a good ball inside the 18-yard box. He fired a shot, but missed wide. Andover broke the tie around halfway through the first half. An Exeter foul led to an Andover free kick in the midfield. Andover played a high ball into Exeter’s 18-yard box. There was a scrum in front of the net, but neither side was able to put a head on the ball, and the ball rolled loose in front of the net. Andover’s Garnet Hathaway ’10 found the rebound and banged it in to break the tie and give Andover a 1-0 lead. Andover struck again at the end of the half. Ethan Hirshberg ’09 chipped the ball over an Exeter defender and into the Exeter 18-yard box. DiFronzo picked up the loose ball for a breakaway and fired it into the bottom left corner of the net, giving Andover a 2-0 lead. The Andover defense would hold the lead going into halftime. Andover dominated the second half, controlling possession and keeping Exeter from receiving any shots on net. Andover added another goal to put the game out of reach when a cross from Trevor Gulick-Stutz ’09 deflected off of an Exeter player and into the net for an own goal, giving Andover the decisive 3-0 lead. With the win against Exeter, Andover finished the regular season with an overall record of 12-1-4. Andover also reached the New England Prep School soccer tournament ranked as the third-seeded team. Wednesday, Andover concluded with a very difficult loss to sixth ranked Avon in penalty kicks during the first round of the New England Prep School soccer tournament. Andover started off the game by taking control of the pace and gaining momentum, but was unable to convert on any of its chances. Despite Andover’s controlling the game, Avon struck first off of a free kick in the 20th minute. The Avon player lofted a ball into the 18-yard box and found an Avon midfielder for a header goal, giving the team a 1-0 lead. Andover controlled the game heading into the half, but was still unable to find the back of the net. Andover continued to apply pressure to the Avon defense and finally tied the game in the second half. Andrew Woonton ’11 gave a pass to Hathaway, who fired a shot to the back post to tie the game at 1-1. Woonton received a good scoring chance of his own later in the half when he beat two Avon defenders and fired a shot from outside the 18-yard box, but the Avon goalkeeper barely made the save. Macquarrie made several key saves in the half as well, and the game headed into overtime. Andover again controlled the overtime period, creating several quality chances. However, the team was unable to convert, and the game headed into penalty kicks. Despite Andover’s dominating performance during regulation and overtime, Avon won the penalty shootout and advanced to the next round of the tournament. Despite the tough loss in the New England tournament, Andover finished the season very successfully. Andover will sustain heavy losses this year due to graduation in all parts of the field. Up front, Andover will lose Hirshberg, but it will be hit hardest in the midfield, where it will lose Captain Matt Gorski ’09, Alex Choi ’09, Chase Potter ’09, Trevor Gullick-Stutz ’09, and Adam Skaggs ’09. Andover’s strong defensive unit will also be hit hard, losing Captain Brian Russell ’09, Ruaridh Hamilton ’09, William Thompson-Butler ’09 and Jordan Bach-Lombardo ’09.
