Charging down the field late in the second half against Northfield Mount Hermon (NMH) on Wednesday, Ananda Kao ’18 snuck a pass to Beth Krikorian ’17, who put the ball away for her second goal of the game. Andover went on to defeat NMH in an 11-9 victory after losing 8-6 to Groton the previous Saturday. The two games brought Andover’s overall record to 2-4.
Against NMH, Andover spread out its 11 goals and four assists over eight players, a testament to the high level of teamwork that the team has developed throughout the season.
Midfielder Katherine McIntire ’19 scored four goals, while midfielder Krikorian scored two. Attackers Meghan Ward ’19 and Sarah Rigazio ’18 each netted one. Additionally, Co-Captain Kelly McCarthy ’16, Olivia LaMarche ’16, and Casey Yarborough ’17 each scored one goal, while Kao and Ward tallied one and three assists, respectively.
Kao said, “In the beginning of the second half, we won the first three draws and that translated into three quick goals for us. We used that momentum to keep the gap between the score relatively large. Although they did have a few quick goals throughout the half, we always responded with one of our own.”
“Towards the end of the game, we were down a man and they closed the gap a little, but we always kept the lead. There are still many areas that we need to work on as a team but I think we deserved this win and it will push us to play our hardest from here on out. We know how good it feels to put it all out there and be rewarded and we just have to keep working hard and working together,” continued Kao.
On Saturday, Andover fell to Groton in an 8-6 loss. Krikorian scored three goals, while Kao scored two goals. Midfielder Ashley Tucker ’18 also scored one goal for Andover.
Krikorian said, “We were not as consistent as we needed to be. We were tied, and then went down, then scored a few in a row to start to come back. Our shot selection was not what we needed it to be.”
Tucker said, “We struggled a lot with stopping Groton’s fast breaks in the game and they scored a couple of goals off of those, so we are definitely going to work on defending fast breaks and getting back to defend in practice this week. I think we also are still getting a little bit winded late into tough games so we will continue to work on conditioning throughout the season.”
Looking forward, the team will continue to work on its strategies on offense and defense, as well as improving its technique.
Krikorian said, “We need to work on our offensive plays and structure. Mostly, we need to work on the mental aspect, such as making the right decisions on offense, defensive, and in transition in the midfield.”
Andover hopes to convert its hard work during practices into a win on the field next Wednesday against Governor’s.
McCarthy said, “We are nearing the midway point of the season, meaning it is time for us to decide how the rest of our games are going to go. Hopefully we will use the momentum from our recent win to carry us on to next Wednesday.”
