After Nobles capitalized on a scoring opportunity 20 minutes into the first half, defensive back Jeanine Moreau ’16 stepped up to play between the midfielders and defenders, strengthening Andover Girls Soccer’s offense.
Increased pressure and aggressive play in the second half led to multiple fouls called on both teams, but Andover could not capitalize on its scoring opportunities and fell to Nobles 2-0 on Wednesday.
“The game was definitely tough, we had our opportunities and Nobles told us that we were their toughest competitors that they had faced so far, which gives us some satisfaction. Of course we wish that we had won, but we all worked really hard and are proud of ourselves,” said Moreau.
Strong individual performances dominated the play, including multiple slide tackles from Co-Captain Diana Tchadi ’14 and effective cooperation between Deyana Marsh ’17 and Moreau. Sarah Humes ’16 and Caroline Shipley ’16 held the sides of the field. Shipley created two corner kick opportunities in the first half.
However, Andover’s efforts were not enough, and Nobles scored on a fast break with five minutes left in the game. A notoriously strong team, Nobles held a record of 10-1-1 prior to its game against Andover and had only allowed three goals on the season.
“We knew that this was the Senior’s last game on Graves field, so we wanted to win it for them and work our hardest. It was a tough game, and although the results didn’t go in our favor, we worked hard and feel good about our performance,” said Olivia LaMarche ’16.
Team cooperation proved to be a recurring issue this week, as Andover Girls Soccer suffered a 6-0 loss to Deerfield on Saturday. Both teams controlled the ball equally initially, and Deerfield scored off a penalty kick to take the lead 1-0 with only minutes left in the half.
After the first goal, Andover lost momentum and Deerfield scored its second within the first minute in the second half. Andover struggled to play cohesively, and Deerfield continued to score until the final buzzer, bringing the final score to 6-0.
The team will focus on working together, communicating about marks, staying on the goal side and improving one-on-one defense over the next few days before its match on Friday.
“In the midfield, we worked on playing to feet and stepping higher when we won the ball,” said LaMarche.
Andover hopes to improve its 6-7-1 record on Friday at 5:30 p.m. against Lawrence Academy.
