Andover walked away with the 2-2 tie against league powerhouse Loomis Chaffee. As always, Loomis put a solid group of players on the field. Krishnamachar described the opponents as being very “physically strong.” Playing with only one substitute available due to injuries, Andover raced off to a strong start. Shannon Burke ’10 got the engine running for Andover by scoring a goal from the 18-yard line early into the first half. Despite Andover’s early attack, Loomis struck back late in the game with two unanswered goals of their own. Trailing in the late stages of the game, Andover’s Ambika Krishnamachar ’11 placed a beautiful ball in the back of the net, erasing Loomis’s lead. “It was really exciting to score, and I think we really deserved the tie because we played so hard and well despite all of our injuries and their lead,” said Krishnamachar. Julia Rafferty ’10 once again had a strong showing at center back, anchoring the Andover defense and consistently putting pressure on Loomis. The overall communication and effective marking displayed by Andover defenders was particularly impressive, keeping Andover in the game for all ninety minutes. On Friday, Andover will face BB&N, another fierce competitor and big rival. Last year, Andover fell to BB&N 2-0 in the regular season, but avenged the loss in the quarterfinals, beating the Knights 3-1. The BB&N contest will also be the first match of Andover post-graduates Celia Caldwell and Meaghan Doherty. Andover will look for these two to bring leadership and strength to the midfield. After an encouraging showing against Loomis, Andover Girls Soccer looks to improve with a win against a strong BB&N team.
