David Wang ’20 scored Andover Boys Soccer’s first goal of the season on a rain-soaked Noble and Greenough field on Wednesday, but as a result of weak defense and communication, Andover lost the match 1-3, beginning its season with an 0-1 record.
Charlie Murphy ’19 wrote in an email to The Phillipian, “We need to work on clearing the ball from our own box. A couple times the other team had the ball for an uncomfortably long time in our 18-yard box.”
“We have to work on defending crosses [long-range offensive passes] and set pieces [re-introducing the ball into play], as that was how we conceded our goals today. We also have to work on executing better in the final third,” added Captain and center-back Henry Rogers ’19.
Wang and Kion Young ’20 also stressed the team’s need for better organization and player placement.
Young wrote in an email to The Phillipian, “We can definitely improve on communication with each other, as there were many instances where two of our guys went for the ball, and either got in each other’s way or both shied away from the ball.”
“One thing we can improve is our positioning, sometimes we were caught too high on their side of the field, where they could just play a ball and have a breakaway,” added Wang.
Despite this, the team’s coaches and new captains, Rogers and goalkeeper Max Levi ’19, provided crucial support on the field.
Murphy said, “Max and Henry really lead us well on the field today. Max was calling things out from the goal the entire game, Henry was organizing the defense and making sure we were all positioned correctly. Coaches made really good subs and also reminded us constantly where we had to be on defense.”
Wang continued, “[Rogers and Levi] encouraged us to keep on working and remain cool when the game was getting heated. Whenever someone made a mistake they would tell us to brush it off and focus on the next play, not dwelling on the past.”
Rogers says he looks primarily to encourage and communicate with the players on the team, particularly defenders.
“As Captain I’m still trying to work out what works best for me and what works best for the team. For now, it’s on me to keep the guys positive and keep a constant stream of communication up with my players and more specifically my back four [defenders],” Rogers wrote in an email to The Phillipian.
Andover Boys Soccer will face Belmont Hill in their first home game on Saturday.
