Andover Boys Water Polo was unable to break its losing streak, falling to a 1-4 record this past weekend.
Despite strong individual performances from Co-Captains Travis Bouscaren ’14 and Henry Kennelly ’13, the team fell 8-11 to Brunswick and 3-10 to Deerfield in a doubleheader on Saturday.
Against Deerfield, Andover’s defense had trouble dealing with one driver who netted four goals.
Although relatively inexperienced, the goalie Rome Arnold ’14 was a standout player. However, there was little he could do to stop Deerfield’s strong offense.
“Rome played very well. Considering this is his first season ever playing, he is exceeding our expectations,” said Bouscaren. “He is very quick, so he can stop hard shots very well, and as the season goes along, his passing to people on fast breaks will become even better.”
Although not reflected in the score, Andover played some of its best water polo against Deerfield.
Kennelly scored two goals on Saturday. To set up this first goal, newcomer Andrew Yang ’14 made a great pass that left Kennelly one-on-one with his defender.
Kennelly turned his defender and beat the talented Deerfield goalie, placing the ball nicely in the back of the net.
While Andover’s offensive players clicked more against Brunswick, the defense had a tougher time against Brunswick’s fast breaks and in the end couldn’t match Brunswick’s powerful offense.
“While we were on offense, they anticipated the shot and would take off while we just watched it,” said Bouscaren.
Bouscaren also added that being disciplined in transition would be a major goal and focus during practice this week.
Andres Feder ’13 scored a beautiful top corner goal on a very well executed power play. Along with Feder and Bouscaren, Joe Faller ’14 had a very strong game before he got injured late in the game.
“Fortunately for us, as the season goes along, everyone will become more and more experienced, which will help us defend and stop many of the goals we have let up recently,” Bouscaren said.
This weekend, the team has two very important games, one against Williston and one against Hotchkiss. Both opponents are strong, and Andover will need two competitive showings to keep its postseason aspirations alive.
