Emily Batchelor ’19 scored one of Andover’s seven goals in its victory over Choate.
Scoring three goals in the first eight minutes, Andover jumped out to an early lead against Choate this past Saturday, going on to win 7-0 in a dominant performance. The team continued its success with a 4-0 win against Milton on Wednesday, bringing its record to 7-0. So far this season, Andover has outscored opponents 36-2.
Head Coach Kate Dolan accredited the win to the depth of the team, which permitted it to have fresh bodies on the field at all times. According to Olivia Nolan ’20, the team’s success can be attributed to the team’s calculated passes and speed.
Nolan said, “I think something we did well against Choate was being really deliberate with our passes and our movement. We were being really deliberate with the ball and not just putting it on people’s sticks but also putting in places where they could run onto it, which was really key to our offense because we have really quick forwards. We also never really let up on our momentum. We were pretty relentless and we never took our feet off of the gas so that definitely contributed to our 7-0 win.”
Despite a perfect record, Coach Dolan still sees room for improvement as the team reaches the midway point in the season.
Coach Dolan said “I think we always just want to get better than the last time we played. There are always things we can do better, little things whether it’s communicating, supporting each other, pushing up on the play, or getting back on the play. Just being there for each other and helping each other. Being our best is always important for me and being consistent day in and day out.”
Nolan said, “Even though we are undefeated, we definitely have things to work on. I think one of our biggest things that we need to improve upon having continuous momentum throughout the game. Sometimes in games we will have firsts where we are doing really well and then sort of lull our energy and we sort of will lose our touch almost so I think just being really consistent with our energy and our enthusiasm will contribute to our chances of success in the [Nepsac] tournament.”
This year the team is led by eight Seniors, including Captain Meghan Ward ’19. Wednesday’s game was characterized by a strong performance from Hannah Cuff ’21 with two goals, Ward with one goal, and Josephina Caico ’19 with one goal.
On Wednesday, Andover began with another fast start against Milton, scoring two goals in the first five minutes and all four of its goals in the first half. Despite the strong start, the team’s energy was lower, according to Nolan.
Nolan said, “It was just one of those days where we didn’t have as much energy as we usually do, because we are usually a pretty peppy team… We had a quick burst of energy at the beginning and we scored two goals in the first five minutes and then we had a bit of a lull. We called a timeout and had regrouped and brought it back together and made it clear that everyone has a role in improving the energy of the team.”
As the season continues, the team looks to continue its success in the Nepsac Championships.
“Well the obvious goal is to is to make the Nepsac Championships because we’ve done that for the past three years, and that would be really great to keep going with that and also to keep and be able to be proud of ourselves in the way we’re playing for the rest of the season,” said Lily Rademacher ’21.
Andover will play St. Paul’s this Saturday at home.
Editor’s Note: Linda Bibeau ’20 is an Associate Sports Editor for The Phillipian.
