Following a loss to Somerville earlier in the season, Andover Ultimate rebounded and defeated the team at home 15-5 on Tuesday.
Lucas Kim ’21 said, “We didn’t look at film, but I feel like we knew what defense they were going to play, and we really prepared and improved throughout the season. I feel like we came out strong, we were up 8-2 at the half, and we won 15-5, so I think that we definitely showed improvement.”
Julian Gonzales ’20 added, “They had great spirit of the game. I think that we displayed a lot of sportsmanship throughout the game because they had some injuries, and I think that we helped them out a lot there. Every time that they made a good throw or [played] good [defense], we always congratulated them on that. I think we played really well as a team, at first. I think we came out really strong.”
The Tuesday prior, the team was defeated 15-0 by Lexington High, which the team took as an opportunity to learn, according to Kion Young ’20.
“I think it was a good game, as we played a team that was much better than us. We were improving our technique throughout the game. Even though we didn’t get any points, we proved to kind of adapt to the team… By the end of the game, you’re starting to get to know the other team’s attack, how they attack, how they play, how they defend, and we could break them most of the time,” said Young.
The following Saturday, the team competed in the Four Rivers tournament where it placed fourth out of twelve teams. Those games served as preparation for the Nepsul tournament that Andover will play in this weekend, according to Co-Captain Isaiah Lee ’19.
“We [will be seeing Northfield Mount Hermon] this Saturday at the Nepsul Championship. They always have a great team, so we’re excited to play them again. This will be our third time playing them this season, so hopefully we can learn from our experiences,” said Lee.
Following a loss to Masconomet during the tournament, Andover defeated them at home last Wednesday. According to Young and Lee, this game marked a turning point in the season.
“We could break [almost] every defense they had. We could defend them pretty well, so I think it’s like a really good turning point for us. In the past few years, we’ve we lost to Masco a lot. But, I think this year, since we won… it shows a lot of good depth on our team,” said Young.
Lee said, “The league has been pretty competitive this year, but I think as a team we have been looking much stronger than we have been. Everything’s starting to come together, the Masco game was big, and I think a lot of our players who were injured are coming out to play in the Nepsul tournament.”
According to Lee, the team has a lot of potential to perform well at the Nepsul tournament this weekend.
Lee said, “It’s sort of the last thing that everyone’s going to do for this season, so it’s really important that we’re getting everyone out there and making sure that everyone’s ready to play.”
He continued, “The tournament is always a good time, it’s always good competition. We won the tournament a couple of years ago, so maybe we can recreate that this year. If not, the future of the program is bright as well.”
