Center forward Meghan Ward ’19 tipped the ball past Milton’s goalie to give Andover a 1-0 lead late in the first half against Milton. After jumping out to a lead, Andover’s defense earned another shutout to give the team a 2-0 victory.
Andover brought its record to 7-1 this week, as the team defeated both Choate and Milton. Andover’s offense came alive against Choate, scoring a season-high five goals. Against Milton, the defense led the team to its 2-0 win.
“We came out flat, and Choate put us on our heels for the first 12 minutes or so,” said Ward.
After 12 minutes of play, Andover gained momentum by scoring three goals in two minutes against Choate.
Jacqueline Diffley ’16 scored a goal, while Beth Krikorian ’17 and Ward tallied two each.
Krikorian said, “Our ball movement in the offensive end was important to all of our goals. Our strengths were that we took shots when we had the opportunity and were in the circle ready for rebounds.”
“Diffley, Lauren Overly ’17 and I have been working well together, and I’m excited to keep the offensive momentum going with them,” said Ward about the successful offensive line.
Andover’s defense, which has only allowed four goals so far this season, also puts pressure on the other team by creating fast breaks.
Defender Elizabeth Welch ’18 said, “We had good communication, so we really tried to switch fields to create fast breaks for the offenders. We did a good job communicating in the circle to not get as many corners, and we did an awesome job passing the ball and seeing the open spaces.”
Against Milton, the first goal was scored by Ward while the second goal came off a corner by Ashley Tucker ’18.
Sarah Rigazio ’18 said, “Our midfielders did a great job hustling and playing both forward and defense. The corner that we scored off of worked really well and included good passing and communication.”
Andover still has room for improvement, evidenced by some indecision in the defensive zone.
Jackie McCarthy ’19 said, “We made most of our decisions one step too late, which gave Milton more offensive opportunities. But to combat that, we had very strong and determined back checking.”
Rigazio said, “The other team out-hustled us to the balls. Since effort is something we can control, it should always be at its highest. We’re just going to take this as a message that everyone needs to always be giving their all and subsequently pushing their teammates to try their hardest.”
Andover will take on St. Paul’s this Saturday afternoon at Phelps Stadium.
