Andover Field Hockey’s offensive consistency proved critical in its 3-1 victory against Northfield Mount Hermon (NMH) on Saturday.
Andover also beat BB&N 3-2 on Wednesday, but lost 2-0 to Milton Academy a week earlier on Thursday.
Against NMH, Andover showed diversity of talent, as Evagelia Toffoloni ’15, Kristen Overly ’15 and Captain Cara Daly ’13 all scored goals.
“We capitalized on our opportunities by scoring off two corners,” said Hannah Sorkin ’14.
Andover struck first when Evagelia Toffoloni fired a shot to the right goal post, which Overly nudged across the line.
Despite Andover’s early momentum, NMH managed to answer later in the first half, tying the game at 1-1.
At the start of the second half, Andover regained the lead when Evagelia Toffoloni scored from the top of the circle during a penalty corner.
Daly soon followed with a goal of her own on a corner to secure the team’s victory.
“We started the game a bit rocky, but then we really pulled it out in the end,” Daly said. “We worked together, went aggressively after every ball, and stayed positive throughout.”
While Andover welcomes the victory, Daly still recognized areas that the team needs to work on.
“We need to improve on communication, our mental preparation, and most importantly our consistency. We have a very talented team this year, and we have definitely had great moments of success. But, those moments of triumph have been sporadic and I believe that will be our greatest struggle to overcome. If we [become more consistent], we will succeed,” said Daly.
After addressing the issues it saw in earlier games, Andover pulled out another win on Wednesday against BB&N. Andover snagged the advantage early and then fought to hold BB&N off from staging a comeback.
Eliza Quigley ’15 scored Andover’s first goal off of a corner, while Sorkin brought the team its second goal with a shot from the left side of the circle. Quigley also scored Andover’s last goal of the day, cementing the team’s 3-2 win.
Lila Dolan ’15 said, “It was a well played game and a well deserved win. We brought a lot of intensity and energy to BB&N. We were not going to settle for anything except a win, and we worked together with quick passes. We backed each other up and off the field. When we play Deerfield, we are going to work on playing low and strong on both offense and defense, and pressure and power through the ball.”
Andover also played Milton last Thursday to make up a previously rained out game, and ultimately lost 0-2.
“It was not our best game, but it is over and we are moving forward. We were not completely focused, and this got in our way of playing,” said Nikoletta Toffoloni.
The team’s record currently stands at 5-4-2, and Andover’s next game is against Deerfield this Friday where it hopes to continue its two game winning streak.
