After topping Taft 12-8, Andover Girls Lacrosse captured its fourth win in a row against Governor’s Academy 12-7 on Wednesday.
Led by Captain Hailey Novis ’13 and Caroline Garrity ’15, the team relied on its speed and strong offensive play against Governor’s.
On Saturday, Andover played one of its most difficult games of the season and beat Taft 12-8.
Intensity has been a big theme for the team so far this season. The team know that to be successful, it needs to bring intensity and maintain it throughout the game.
The team, led by Olivia Cabral ’14, who had nine fouls and two goals, certainly brought intensity against Taft.
Cabral said, “Taft brought the intensity, and we definitely knew from the start that if we wanted to win, we would have to do better than match it. They were very aggressive at times, and I just felt as if I was doing my part to help the team reach the intensity level we are looking for.”
“We were able to stay in control because of our defense, forcing them to turn the ball over led to our scoring chances,” said Hannah Burns ’15.
The win against Taft gave Andover momentum against a talented Governor’s Academy.
Andover was led again by a tremendous performance from Ashlyn Aiello ’14, Andover’s goalie, who made save after save, especially during the second half.
Hannah Guzzi ’14 said, “Ashlyn played amazing. She only let in one goal in the second half. Every time she made a save, she got the defense fired up to keep playing hard.”
Andover pulled ahead 6-3 early in the first quarter. However, Governor’s was able to storm back with two minutes remaining in the first half to tie the score going into halftime.
Aiello was dominant in the second half though, allowing only a single goal.
“Honestly I didn’t know I was doing a ‘great job’ until the end of the game when my teammates pointed out that I had let in only one goal in the second half. In my mind, the world ended when I scored on myself and [Governor’s] scored three goals in under a minute,” wrote Aiello in an e-mail to The Phillipian.
“I made sure my eyes were locked on the ball so I could just read the release and react,” she added.
Coach Kate Dolan said, “She knows angles, and she holds her ground. She can make huge saves when we need a defensive stop, and that in turn gives the team momentum and confidence.”
Andover went on to net six more goals in second half to secure the 12-7 win.
Against Governor’s, Cabral, Garrity, Nekele McCall ’14, Novis and Burns all scored.
Coach Dolan said, “As a group, the team is improving its level of communication, effort and trust. The more effort and confidence we play with, the better we play. Each person has stepped up her effort and commitment to the team.”
Andover has two more games before it faces an extremely tough Loomis Chafee team. The team has been waiting for this game since preseason, and knows it will be one of their greatest tests.
Andover takes on Tabor on Saturday.
