Pressured by two defenders, Cormac Zachar ’18 whipped a ten meter shot across the face of the Choate goalie while falling to the ground. His effort resulted in Andover’s first goal of the game, but the team couldn’t utilize its momentum to win the matchup and fell to its opponents 11-4 in the final home game of the season. This outcome pushed Andover’s record to 5-7
According to Sawyer Moody ’19, the team’s defensive players were responsible for Andover’s valiant efforts against its opponent.
“Eugene Yoon [’18] made some nice saves and our defensemen did a pretty good job of taking the ball from Choate. Even though we lost, I think we did a great job keeping their players on the outside on defense and not letting any easy goals happen,” said Moody.
Chriss Morse ’20 said, “When Eugene made a big one-on-one save after they scored, it brought the team back up in terms of spirit. The team played solid defense after some halftime adjustments, and the defense never gave up until the last whistle.”
Jed Heald ’20 said, “As a whole, our team defense was good, but our fundamental mistakes during the game hurt us and gave Choate the opportunity to capitalize; however, we need to improve on working together as a unit and communicating better.”
Andover was occasionally able to generate offensive drives and scoring opportunities in the beginning of the game but lost momentum as the matchup wore on.
Moody said, “We did well in the first quarter with our offense, and we were able to move the ball and get some nice goals, but unfortunately that lacked for the rest of the game.”
“Our offense was able to move the ball around quickly to create dodging opportunities, but our turnovers prevented us from keeping up with Choate’s offense on the scoreboard,” said Heald
Morse said, “The offense had trouble with our own game, their defense wasn’t great, but we couldn’t seem to get anything done. We messed up the simple things.”
Now, Andover transitions to preparing for the final game of its season against Phillips Exeter Academy. According to multiple players, Andover will focus on improving communication and execution of clean and effective offensive plays.
“We definitely need to improve our communication and our knowledge for next game. We need to be smart and think about the play instead of blindly throwing passes and turning the ball over,” said Moody.
Liam Nestor ’20 said, “The team was able to run offense well and keep their defense working; however, we need to improve our transition and clearing of the ball to keep ourselves on offense.”
Morse said, “For Exeter, we need to work on the little things. We need to be patient and selfless on offense, and we need to be disciplined on defense. Our biggest thing is playing as a team and always playing for the guy next to us not for ourselves.”
Despite a rocky season, Andover will face its archrival Exeter away on Saturday with hopes of finishing on a high note.
