After beating St. Paul’s 3-0 last Friday, Andover Boys Soccer surged to a 1-0 victory on Wednesday against Brooks School at home.
“[The Brooks game] was absolutely amazing,” said Kene Adigwe ’14. “I’m still shaking right now.”
Forward James McLeod ’13 scored the only goal of the game with three minutes to go in the second half.
McLeod took a throw-in, flipping forward as he rocketed the ball down the field.
On its way through the air, the ball grazed the head of Brooks’ centre-back. As a result, the ball changed direction and was able to find the back of the net. Andover took the lead, and the sideline erupted in approval.
“Prior to the throw in, I was thinking ‘this is the one.’ The ball was spotted perfectly for my throw—my sweet spot, if you will,” said McLeod.
Brooks had multiple opportunities to score early on, including a breakaway within the first five minutes of the first half. Fortunately for Andover, Captain Jack McGeachie ’13 alertly positioned himself, making the shooter’s striking-angle difficult, and forced his opponent to miss the shot.
Following Brooks’ breakaway, Andover gradually elevated the pace and controlled the ball for most of the half. Brooks began to tire, which resulted in several chances to score for Andover.
Towards the middle of the half, Adigwe rocketed a shot off of the crossbar, which was Andover’s closest shot of the first half.
With the game scoreless, Andover opened up the second half with new vigor and enthusiasm. The team dug in and established itself defensively and quelled all of Brooks’ scoring attempts.
“Our defense was outstanding,” said Nick DiStefano ’14.
The Brooks defense was equally strong for most of the half, and scoring opportunities proved to be rare. The ball remained primarily near the center of the field until McLeod scored on the throw-in.
“After the throw-in, all I was thinking about was how we had to buckle down for about two more minutes, and we’d come out on top,” said McLeod.
Andover held on for the victory, and the finish was certainly one of the most exciting that the team has experienced in a long time.
“James McLeod was definitely the best player today,” said starting forward Dylan Mott ’15. “Coach [Bill Scott] says we need to be able to win a 1-0 game. [We were] able to do that.”
“Along with Jack McGeachie, centre-back Gabe [Freund ‘13] played a great game despite suffering from an illness,” DiStefano said. “All in all, though, we played extremely well. Everything was clicking. Zero goals allowed on the season so far should speak for itself. It just goes to show that our propensity to win when playing on Smoyer Field is unrivaled.”
Andover has never a lost regular season prep-school game on its home field since its creation six years ago, according to Coach Scott.
Andover looks to carry on its two game winning streak on Saturday at Loomis Chaffee.