Sports

Andrew Woonton ’11 and Aaron Mentos ’11 Score for Andover in 2-2 Tie at Loomis

With time running out and the game tied, Aaron Mentos ’11 blasted the ball into the back of the net from inside the six yard box for the apparent game winner, only to be recalled by the official, taking a well deserved win away from Andover Boys Soccer. Before the ball entered the back of the net, time had run out and the referee blew his whistle, calling off the goal and giving Andover its second tie of the week. After the game, Assistant Coach Ben Salmon described the draw as “a rough game.” He said, “The boys fought really hard and came up very unlucky.” Andover came out in the first half a little tentative, allowing Holderness to stay in the game early. Goalkeeper Jeb Roberts ’11 had a particularly good first half , making some clutch saves for Andover. Andover picked up their play in the second half. Center back Jake Rowher ’11 held Holderness to very few chances. “It was an unfortunate result for all the effort we put into the second half. We came out fired up, and dominated for a solid 35 minutes. We were unlucky to not come out on top,” said Rowher. Andover’s game this past Saturday against Loomis Chafee also resulted in a tie, 2-2. The Andover backline was caught sleeping early in the game when a Loomis striker picked up a bouncing ball at the top of the eighteen-yard box, and finished into the net despite a great attempt by goalkeeper William Poss ’12 to save the goal. In the next 15 minutes of play, the boys picked up their game, possessing well inside the home team’s half. Forwards Tebs Maqubela ’11 and Aaron Mentos ’11 pressured the Loomis defense, forcing the sloppy back line to give the ball away in their own half. Led by great all-around play by Andover’s midfield and forwards, Andrew Woonton ’11 added the equalizer in the twenty-sixth minute. Woonton slipped behind the Loomis defense as Taylor Chin ’14 headed him the ball. Just before the end of the first half, Andover conceded their second goal of the season. A skilled Loomis attacker split Andover’s center midfielders and managed to squeeze by Andover’s last defender, firing an untouchable shot into the bottom corner of the net. After forty-five minutes of play, Andover went into halftime down 2-1 despite outshooting their opponents thirteen to five. Coming into the second half, Andover was fired up and ready to take the game back into their own hands. Not even five minutes into the second half Captain Mike DiFronzo ’11 headed home a bouncing ball inside the box. Despite both sides’ attempts to find the back of the net, neither squad could break the deadlock, finishing in a 2-2 tie. The team looks to pick-up where they left off when they play against Tabor Saturday afternoon.