Isabella DiBennedetto ’20 has played midfield for Andover Girls Soccer since her Junior Year.
Emily Hardy ’20 saved 13 shots from going into Andover’s goal, helping hold the Choate team to a 0-0 tie on Saturday and earning the honor of Player of the Game. On Wednesday, however, the team fell to Brooks, moving the team’s record to 3-5-1.
A key component in tying Choate was the team’s ability to play together, according to Isobel Glass ’21.
“We played really cohesively, we played as a unit… and the whole team thought it was a strong result to come out of playing Choate. It was a really hard-fought and good game,” said Glass.
Karoline Conte ’21 added, “[Head Coach Lisa Joel] was really pleased with the outcome. She said Choate was a tough competitor and that it would be a good test of our technique as a team.”
Despite the lack of goals scored, the team was able to create many scoring opportunities while simultaneously defending scoring attempts made by Choate. According to Glass, the game could have gone either way due to the equal chances both teams had, resulting in a fair outcome to a challenging game.
Hardy was the most influential player in the game due to her consistency and many shutouts, according to Bella DiBenedetto ’20.
DiBenedetto said, “Our goalie, Emily Hardy, came up with some big saves for us and really played well in the back.”
Although the team had a strong performance, it looks to learn from the tie and implement the lessons in the latter half of the season, according to Glass.
Glass said, “We could focus more on taking advantage of our chances and getting on the end of free kicks and corner kicks.”
Going into its game against Brooks on Wednesday, Andover looked to improve from the game against Choate. Andover, however, was not able to come out on top, as Brooks won 2-0.
The heat posed an additional challenge for Andover, according to DiBenedetto.
DiBenedetto said, “The team really worked hard against Brooks. The hot conditions made it really hard on a big field. Our midfield worked very hard. We were constantly running and tracking our players box to box.”
According to Conte, the team looks to work on its offense, both technically and in response to the opponent.
“We need to improve on connecting passes and pushing up,” said Conte. “We could have done a better job of pressing their defense.”
According to Conte, the team did well maintaining its positivity despite the loss and will continue training hard for its next game.
The team will face St. Paul’s at home at 4:30 p.m. on Saturday.
