Andover Boys Soccer handed Deerfield its sixth loss of the season during Family Weekend. With goals from Co-Captain Dylan Mott ’15 (two), Brandon Girard ’16, Nicolas Swenson ’15 and Peder Bakken ’16, the team earned a 5-0 victory. On Wednesday, Andover had a lackluster performance and lost to Worcester Academy by a 4-1 margin.
“We did a nice job of pressing them early and really hunting for that opening goal. Our movement was very good, and the team was really working together,” said Head Coach Will Orben.
Andover started the game with urgency, scoring two quick goals, then transitioned to a more composed and patient style of soccer. Midfielders strung passes around Deerfield players with ease, while the defensive line stayed compact and impenetrable.
“We defended very well and kept the ball most of the game. We wore them down with our passing until they couldn’t keep up any longer, and then we picked them apart,” wrote Co-Captain Josh Murphy ’15 in an email to The Phillipian.
“We took our foot off of the pedal a little bit and started to pass the ball through their team a lot more for the rest of our goals,” said Mott, who is now three goals away from breaking the all-time scoring record.
Andover saw goals and playing time from a variety of different players, which helped starters conserve their stamina and allowed reserve players to gain valuable experience.
“Everyone played meaningful minutes, and everyone looked sharp and focused on the field. [It was a] great overall team performance,” wrote Murphy.
After facing Deerfield, the team was pleased with its execution and result, but did not have the same luck against Worcester on Wednesday as it found itself down 3-0 at halftime.
With only one loss to Loomis Chaffee, Worcester proved to be one of the toughest opponents Andover has faced.
“It was a well-fought and pretty even game despite the score. They capitalized on our mistakes, and we had trouble finishing chances,” said Henry Meyerrose ’17.
In the second half, the team was able to find the back of the net when Culver Duquette ’15 scored off of a rebound from Mott’s shot. This gave the team some life and closed the gap to 3-1 until Worcester quickly answered Andover’s goal, making the final score 4-1.
“The three early goals by Worcester were really the difference in this one. Duquette’s goal gave us a spark, but it wasn’t enough, unfortunately,” wrote Assistant Coach Spencer Diamond in an email to The Phillipian.
As the regular season winds down, the team looks to rebuild its momentum and gear up for a playoff push against Kimball Union Academy on Saturday.
