Nicola Sommers PG ’20 has scored three goals so far this season.
According to Emily Hardy ’20, it was important to get a win after the team lost its first game of the season against Thayer last week.
“I think we were pretty upbeat going into the game. It was a really rainy day, but we came off the bus ready to play. I think that going into the game, we knew that we wanted to bounce back from the Thayer game, so we really just wanted to use it as a springboard for the rest of the season,” said Hardy
With Emma Fogg ’21 out with an injury, Emily Kelly ’22 stepped in and made an impact defensively, according to Hardy. In addition to Kelly’s performance, the rest of Andover’s defense held Deerfield to just one goal.
After Andover’s win over Deerfield on Sunday, it lost 2-1 to Nobles on Wednesday, moving its record to 11-2. Despite the outcome, Co-Captain Rachel Chang ’20 believed that the team played with a lot of intensity.
“In the beginning of the game, we had super high energy, and I think that caught Nobles by surprise. Our energy got a little frantic at the end, but I’m proud of how hard we fought…This was honestly one of the best games we played this season, even though the result wasn’t what we hoped for,” wrote Chang in an email to The Phillipian.
Chang continued, “We also communicated a lot on the field, and I think that really helped with the whole dynamic. Nobles has always been a really strong competitor for us, and I think that this year we really showed up ready to battle.”
Chang highlighted the team’s only goal as her favorite moment of the game.
“[The goal] came in the last fifteen minutes of the second half. We had good momentum for the entire game, but we weren’t able to finish some of our opportunities. So seeing that goal—which was an incredible assist by Mary Stuart and goal by Isobel Glass [’21]—was so satisfying,” wrote Chang.
Heading into Wednesday’s match, Andover prioritized playing a clean game and not making mistakes that Nobles could capitalize on, according to Hardy.
Hardy said, “[We will be focusing on] making sure that we’re switching the fields, but also that were closing the gaps defensively. We know that Nobles has a pretty strong group of forwards, so just making sure that in the back we aren’t making any mistakes and we’re being safe with the ball.”
According to Kendall Toth ’23, the standout players of the game included Nicola Sommers PG’20, Anna Hurley ’21, Bella Di Benedetto ’20, and Glass.
“Nicola had an amazing game and made some brilliant plays. One included her taking the ball from the middle to the outside to Anna Hurley, overlapping her while Hurley went inside, and dragging the defender with her. [The] Player of the Game, Bella, was amazing at switching the field, Emily Hardy has some amazing saves, and Isobel Glass made some awesome runs,” said Toth.
On Saturday, the team will host Lawrence Academy in its final home game of the season.
Editor’s Note: Rachel Chang is a News Editor for The Phillipian.