Andover Boys Lacrosse capped off a five-game winning streak with a 15-1 win over Brooks this past weekend. Starting with a 17-8 win at Tabor, Andover won four games on the road. The team knocked off Loomis 11-7, Dexter Southland 14-7 and Kimball Union Academy (KUA) 14-7. Andover’s offense has been on a hot streak, scoring more than 11 goals in each of its last five games. When asked why the team has scored with such ease, Tim Bulens ’15 had a one word answer: “Patience.” “We have been able to play a complete game. We started at the beginning of the season only playing one or two quarters, but now we’ve been able to string together all four,” said Co-Captain Connor Light ’13. Andover has been sound defensively, allowing an average of just six goals per game over the past five games. Co-Captain Larken Kemp ’13 has been playing close defense recently instead of long-stick midfield, and this has made a big difference for Andover. “Overall I think that we have picked up our communication, understanding of teams’ defensive schemes and, most importantly, one-on-one matchups,” he said. Andover’s improvement on defense shone in its game against Brooks. “Our defense played fantastic. [They] played smart, fundamental defense and didn’t allow the Brooks offense to get the looks that they wanted,” said Clark Perkins ’14, the goalie. “The defense made some great takeaway checks and sparked transition. The offense fed off of the defense and shredded Brooks’ defense. [We had] great ball movement and finishing,” Perkins added. Defender Pat Daly ’15 said “We played hard from start to finish. We never took our foot off the gas, and it showed by the final score.” Andover’s offense came to play against Brooks as well, with Light scoring seven goals, Co-Captain Stephen Fehnel ’13 adding three and Foster LeBoeuf ’15 notching one goal and eight assists. Against KUA, Light led the team with five goals, Bulens and Co-Captain Austin Gaiss ’14 each scored three times. LeBeouf lead the team with four assists, and Light chipped in three assists of his own. Andover’s record stands at 8-5 now. Its last three opponents, Choate, Proctor and Exeter, all have records over .500. Next on the schedule is a home game against Choate on Saturday. With no Wednesday game this week, Andover has four days of practice under its belt to prepare.
