Andover Boys Soccer faced off against an undefeated Milton Academy and suffered a 1-0 loss after Milton scored late in the second half. The defeat marked the first loss on Smoyer Field in the past two seasons and blemished an otherwise sparkling 7-1-1 record.
Against Tilton earlier in the week, however, Andover jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first half and went on to expand its lead in the second half to claim a 4-0 victory.
Andover emphasized its offense during the game against Tilton. It maintained possession for the majority of the game, limiting Tilton’s offensive opportunities. After only a few minutes of play, Andrei Dumitrescu ’18 capitalized on a cross from Rabines, setting the tone for the rest of the game.
Co-Captain Brandon Girard ’16 scored a second goal for Andover from the top of the penalty area. Rabines netted the third goal before the half to give Andover a comfortable lead.
In the second half, many of Andover’s younger players contributed to the team effort. With 15 minutes left in the match, Dumitrescu finished another goal from close range to end the game at a final score of 4-0.
Forward Henry Meyerrose ’17 said, “We shot well from the perimeter and were able to consistently finish well. Our ability to maintain possession of the ball and capitalize on our opportunities enabled us to dominate offensively.”
On the defense, new goalie Ben Andresen ’17 started in goal and earned the shutout for Andover.
Andover faced an undefeated Milton team on Monday.
In the first half, Andover’s defense held a strong back line, allowing only a few offensive opportunities. The few shots that slipped through Andover’s defense were handled by goalkeeper Ryan Fischer ’16, who made numerous diving saves to keep Andover in the game.
Co-Captain Peder Bakken ’16 said, “So far this year, we have focused on not letting teams score. If the other team doesn’t score than you can’t lose the game. We make sure that we keep all of the other team’s attacks in front of us and make them beat us by scoring something special.”
In the second half, Milton scored the only goal of the game off a header from the right side of the penalty box. Andover responded with several final offensive pushes in the remaining minutes, but was not able to score.
Co-Captain Alex Dziadosz ’16 said, “After losing our first game of the year, we need to regroup and reflect. Milton was a great team and tested us like no other team that we have played so far. This loss must be taken as a learning experience. We have many games left to focus on, and none of them will be easy.”
Andover will look to rebound in its next game against Northfield Mount Hermon on Saturday.
