Andover Ultimate secured third place after playing six games at the Amherst Invitational last weekend. The team took home wins against Williston Northampton School 15-1, Amherst Regional High School 15-2, Somerville High School 15-4 and Falmouth High School 15-3 on Sunday. Still, Andover suffered losses against Falmouth High School 12-13 on Saturday and Hotchkiss School 7-11. On Wednesday, Andover Ultimate squared off against Masconomet Regional High School and secured a 13-11 victory.
After a long bus ride to Amherst, Andover struggled to get warmed up in time for the game against Williston Northampton. This did not affect the team as it played efficiently by capitalizing on Williston’s mistakes. The end result was a 15-1 win.
Emboldened by the strong performance, Andover went into the second game on Saturday against Amherst Regional High School with a high level of confidence. The team defeated its opponent by making quick and precise passes to the end zone, which in turn allowed Andover to dominate 15-2.
In the third game against Falmouth, Andover’s defense had trouble containing Falmouth’s athletic cutters. When Andover fell out of rhythm, Head Coach Scott Hoenig focused the team on playing good, fundamental defense. As the clock ticked down, Andover and Falmouth were tied 12-12 until Andover was defeated with a last-minute tie-breaking point from Falmouth.
In an email to The Phillipian Darian Bhathena ’16 wrote, “Even though we lost, both teams played amazing games. We worked hard until the very end, playing smart and never giving up on defense, and keeping our heads and remaining patient on offense. It was tough to lose that game in the end because we worked so hard, but our determination and our resolve really showed through.”
Andover Ultimate played Somerville High School last Saturday and found motivation by feeding off its loss against Falmouth. By taking advantage of every turnover, Andover soon secured the victory 15-4.
Since Andover won three out of the four games on Saturday, it advanced to the semifinals against Hotchkiss on Sunday. Andover found itself in a 7-1 hole halfway through the first half of the game. Although Andover quickly improved its quality of play, Hotchkiss maintained its lead.
After halftime, Hotchkiss once again took control of the game. Soon, Hotchkiss snatched the win 7-11 and handed Andover its second loss of the tournament.
The last game on Sunday was once again against Falmouth High School. Still stinging from a one-point loss from Saturday, Andover came into the game ready for a victory. Andover capitalized on Falmouth’s mistakes, racking up a total of 15 points against Falmouth’s three to avenge its earlier defeat.
Reuben Philip ’18 wrote in an email to The Phillipian, “We stayed in the mindset we had in the previous game and were able to beat Falmouth. We played our game, learned a lot and had fun all at the same time.”
On Wednesday, Andover once again had a strong offensive performance against Masconomet Regional High School. Throughout the entire game, Andover maintained composure and took advantage of every opportunity that came its way. This helped offset some of the defensive mistakes that the team committed. Andover eventually secured the win 13-11.
Andover will look to build on its impressive 12-4 record when it faces off against Somerville High School next Wednesday.
