Dribbling past a defender up the right side of the field, Zoe Oasis ’17 blasted the ball from 18 yards out, sending the ball over the goalie’s head and into the goal. Oasis scored again later in the second half off a penalty kick to extend Andover Girls Soccer’s lead to 2-0, securing its victory over Tabor on Saturday.
Focused practices throughout the week contributed to Andover’s win, which brought its record up to 3-3. Head Coach Lisa Joel said, “[It was] definitely positive that we got a win on a day where it was rainy and slippery, so you have to adapt to the weather. But I think what we did was we bounced back after a disappointing loss earlier in the week and we sort of have been talking about practicing with the same intensity we want to play with and not getting discouraged by adversity.”
Despite a scoreless first half where Andover struggled to finish despite many chances, the team did not give up.
Joel said, “We made a couple positional changes at halftime and really just controlled the game in the second half and created certainly two chances.”
Oasis was essential to Andover’s offense against Tabor, scoring both goals in the second half of its game. In addition to Oasis, newcomer Maddy Silveira ’20 came off the bench and added to Andover’s offense.
A big part of Andover’s shutout win against Tabor can be credited to its strong defense. Elise MacDonald ’19 said, “We practiced [one-versus-one] defense a lot and being super aggressive and not letting the midfield create plays.”
Andover’s success this season can also be attributed to the leadership of its Seniors. Oasis said, “We have 12 Seniors who bring the team together and everyone works really hard on and off the field to keep challenging each other.”
Co-Captains Cassie Chin ’17 and Antonia Tammaro ’17 have been working hard to better the team dynamic. Joel said, “I am super impressed by all the stuff they are doing not just on the field, and they certainly are two of our best players, two of the best players in the program ever, but all they do that their team probably doesn’t see off the field to make sure we are successful.”
Andover looks to play a smart, fast-paced game against Choate this Saturday.
Editor’s Note: Cassie Chin is a Sports Editor for The Phillipian.
