Two Julia Rafferty ’10 goals propelled Andover to a 6-1 thrashing of Thayer on Wednesday. On the previous Friday, Andover hosted a 6-0-1 Nobles team and despite quality play in both zones, the team fell short 1-0. Last year, Andover edged out a one goal win over Thayer and hoped to do even better this year. Andover changed its lineup by moving Ambika Krishnamachar ’11 back to midfield and shifting Julia Rafferty ’10 up to striker. “This change worked really well in this game because it helped us generate more offense,” said Krishnamachar. In addition, Courtney Macdonald ’11 was moved from her fullback position to halfback as part of Andover’s switch to a more aggressive gameplan. This new formation proved successful, as Amanda Brisco ’10 nailed a shot into the back of Thayer’s net just minutes into the game, putting Andover in the lead from the start. Moments later, Rafferty, in her new striker position, put another goal on the Andover scoreboard. Just minutes before halftime, Jackie Wallace ’10 scored another goal for Andover to increase the lead to three. Thayer finally got on the scoreboard just before halftime with a goal scored on a penalty kick. In the second half, Andover came out firing. Rafferty, Wallace, and Anna Fang ’10 added a goal apiece, as Andover harnessed the offensive drive that they have been searching for all season and pulled off a decisive win against Thayer. From the start of Friday’s game, Andover turned Nobles‘s usual dominant play into eighty minutes of evenly matched soccer. Nobles scored midway through the first half, sending a hard, high shot into the net, making it impossible to reach for Andover’s goalie, Kim Kohn ’10. But, Andover’s defense stayed strong. Empowered by the impressive work of Kohn, the team did not let any other balls penetrate its line. On Halloween, Andover faces a challenging Deerfield team.
