With goals from five different players, Andover boys soccer routed Cushing 7-0 on Wednesday. Andover took control from the start when Jake Rowher ’11 finished a brilliant strike past the outstretched keeper. Before the end of the first half of play, Andover had netted five goals against the visitors. Jon Westling ’12 finished bar-down for his first goal of the season, and the second goal of the game. Noah Le Gros ’12 also contributed two fantastic goals in his first start of the season. After dribbling through the defense he placed his shot in the bottom right hand corner, giving the goalie no hope of saving it. Gabo Cordero ’12 and Taylor Chin ’14 combined for three of the seven goals later in the game. Chin assisted Cordero twice and Cordero returned the favor when he laid the ball back onto the eighteen for Chin. The young freshmen showed great class and composure as he finished into the bottom corner, ending the game in a 7-0 victory. Led with amazing play from defenders Myles O’Neil ’12, Jake Rowher ’11, Peter Lee-Kramer ’11, and Brian Woonton ’11, Andover played exceptionally well in its 0-0 tie against a strong Northfield Mount Hermon squad last Saturday. All four backs made perfectly timed steps and tackles to stop the NMH strikers from gaining any momentum. Getting his first start at right-back, O’Neil had an outstanding game, both defensively and offensively. “It was a great opportunity for me, and I did my best to make the most of it. It was a tough battle, and I look forward to the possibility of seeing them later in the season,” O’Neil said after the game. Great team defense translated into dangerous attacking opportunities, as forwards Tebs Maqubela ’11 and Aaron Mentos ’11 kept possession during transitions, turning defenders and attacking the net. Fighting a strain in his right quad, left midfielder Andrew Woonton ’11 was a dangerous threat whenever he touched the ball. Along with Woonton, right midfielder Connor Hickey ’11 beat his defender multiple times, and served in many threatening crosses in front of the opposing keeper. Seniors Tim Marchese ‘11 and Mike DiFronzo ’11 also had fantastic games, controlling the center of the pitch with conviction. With the pressure turned up several notches in the last thirty minutes of the game, both teams left everything they had on the field. The NMH forwards pushed on Andover’s back line but Andover’s defenders denied them any room to play. After the game, Peter Lee-Kramer said, “Their three players up top were some of the best players in the league, and our team played solid defense to shut them down the entire game. We won the ball, and transitioned into the offense very well.” Andover’s offense also attacked with incredible intensity throughout the second half. “It was one of the most competitive games I’ve ever played in. I couldn’t have chosen a better group of boys to experience it with,” said Rowher. “We were unlucky to come out of such a hard fought game without a win.” Andover will seek revenge against Deerfield on Saturday, looking to rebound after last year’s heart-breaking 4-3 loss in the final minutes.
