Lexi Davidson ’17 faked her defender, moved to her left and passed the ball to wide-open Eliza Quigley ’15, who slammed the ball into the net and sealed Andover Field Hockey’s 5-1 victory against Thayer on Saturday.
Andover also defeated Lawrence Academy 1-0 on Wednesday for an undefeated week.
Andover attacked Thayer’s defensive zone, scored minutes after the game began and had continuous success with corner goals.
“We scored either [two] or three times off the corners and other than that there were just a bunch of good passing sequences up the field and some lucky crosses that were able to be tipped in,” said Hannah Burns ’15.
“We had a really strong offensive start. Right out of the gate we were attacking, attacking, very offensive,” said Head Coach Kate Dolan.
The game also showcased the team’s improved defense, which was a major focus during practice last week.
“We practiced a lot of one-on-one defense, and we practiced a lot of transitioning,” said Burns.
Dolan continued, “I think the kids did a better job supporting one another defensively, which is the area we have to keep working on. [Wednesday’s game] was good in that it reaffirmed that we’re a strong team, that we’re a deep team. But competition is going to get tougher too.”
Andover continued its winning streak in its game against Lawrence. Andover adjusted well to a slower-paced game on Lawrence’s grass field.
“Since we’re not used to playing on grass, it was definitely different, and, since the team we were playing against practices on it everyday, they were more accustomed to it. So it took us a little bit to adjust, but, once we did, I think we dominated,” said Captain Eva Toffoloni ’15.
“We couldn’t be fancy with [the ball]. We had to play more as a team and more efficiently,” added Katerina Toffoloni ’15.
Quigley scored the game’s only goal.
“It was off of a corner and [Nikoletta Toffoloni ’15] passed it out to Eliza and Eliza shot it. It tipped off a defender,” said Eva Toffoloni.
Andover’s defensive front commanded its side of the field once again: Lawrence did not score a single goal. Kelly McCarthy ’16 was a key part of Andover’s shutout.
“[McCarthy] did really well. She’s the furthest back and she knows when to step up, when to not step up and she knows how to use the people around her,” said Nikoletta Toffoloni.
Andover hopes to continue its undefeated streak against Loomis Chaffee on Friday.
