After scoring two goals within 11 minutes of the first half, Andover Girls Soccer took an early lead against St. Paul’s this past Saturday, contributing to its 3-1 win. On Wednesday, the team continued its success against Governor’s with a 6-3 win. The team’s record now sits at 5-5-1.
On Saturday, Andover maintained its composure and high energy, allowing it rebound after giving up a goal, according to Emma Fogg ’21.
“I think a big thing to our success in that game was how we didn’t let a goal let us down. We scored and had momentum, but immediately they scored. But I think we realized how if we kept pushing that goal won’t matter and we just need to play our game. I think our sideline did a really good job of being encouraging and motivating,” said Fogg
Andover’s communication, as well as its passing sequences and precision helped the team to achieve both of its wins this past week, according to Katherine Marquis ’21 and Jess Moses PG ’19.
Marquis said, “We played very well in the past two games. We have had good passing, communication, and execution. We practice passing and communication, and it has really shown in the games, and we have improved our execution.”
“The first half of the game [on Wednesday] we were communicating and moving as a unit very smoothly. Our passes were to feet, and we brought the ball all the way from the defense, through the midfield and up to our strikers who scored three easy goals within the first 20 minutes of the game,” said Moses.
Later in the week, Andover started its game against Governor’s strong with a high level of energy that remained constant throughout the afternoon, according to Isabella Di Benedetto ’20 and Moses.
Andover’s strong passing helped the team scoring three goals in the first 20 minutes in its matchup against St. Paul’s.
“We started the game with a high energy and that led us to score a few goals quickly. We played very well and this energy continued until the final whistle,” said Di Benedetto.
“We worked fantastic together today and our captains [Elise MacDonald ’19 and Allison Zhu ’19] do so much to make sure our energy is always at its highest. The sidelines is where we get the most energy. Our fellow teammates cheering us on always keeps the spirits high,” said Moses.
The game on Wednesday gave Andover the opportunity to alter its lineup, according to Mary Stuart Kerrigan ’22.
“We have a few injuries on the team right now so today was a chance for a lot of non-starters to really make and impact on the game. We had a lot of energy going into the first half and we had the advantage of playing with the wind which brought us into a 4-0 lead at halftime. We continued that same energy in the second half and played some people in positions they do not normally play,” said Kerrigan.
Moving forward, Andover looks to improve its execution on corner kicks, according to Marquis.
Marquis said, “We could improve on finishing off of our corner kicks, as over the season we have had chances to finish these in the games and have not succeeded much in doing so.”
The team will travel to Northfield Mount Hermon this Saturday.
Editor’s Note: Allison Zhu is a Commentary Editor for The Phillipian.
