With a player down on the field, Andover Girls Lacrosse tried hard to fend off Brooks during the final minute of its game on Wednesday. Despite its efforts, Andover lost with a final score of 18-7.
On the Saturday before, Andover also conceded a 14-6 loss to Choate, bringing its overall season record to 6-8.
Although Andover has suffered four consecutive losses, its game against Choate demonstrated how its defense has continued to excel on the field, according to Liz Seero ’18.
“We were definitely a lot better at trying not to draw shooting space. We didn’t have any three second calls this game which was really good. I think the fundamentals of our defense were also really good. There were a few small things that we missed, but they were all sneaky plays from the other team, so our mistakes were more so the cunning of the other team, and I’m pretty proud of what we did,” said Seero.
Sarah Rigazio ’18 said, “I think we transitioned well, and we had some nice defensive plays. Our defense stopped a couple of eight meters which is really good, and they also did a good job of sliding and crashing to prevent people from driving to the net and scoring.”
Against Brooks, Andover’s defense did a good job of staying focused and positive, according to Seero.
Seero said, “I feel as if our team never lost confidence. The chemistry of being able to keep each other up and not get too down on both other people’s and your own mistakes was important, particularly in a game like this.”
Despite its defense’s success, Andover’s offense consistently made mistakes, leading to a handful of missed goals and turnovers.
“Our offensive possession was bad [against Brooks] this game. We just weren’t calm with it, keeping our poise, or keeping possession for a long time. We kept turning [the ball] over. We took some pretty bad shots as well. We created a lot of turnovers which is why we were in our defensive zone so much,” said Rigazio.
Andover will get a chance to improve upon maintaining possession to end its losing streak this coming Friday against Phillips Exeter Academy in its final match of the season.
