After scoring two goals and recording an assist against Brooks two weeks ago, Lily Haik ’22 (#9) notched another brace against St. Paul’s.
On Wednesday, Lily Haik ’22 scored two goals within the first seven minutes of the game, helping Andover to secure a 3-0 win over Governor’s Academy. The team rebounded from a 1-3 loss at St. Paul’s this past Saturday. Andover Girls Soccer now stands at a 5-5-1 record.
Following the loss to St. Paul’s, Emily Kelly ’22 highlighted the lone goal from Elisabeth Rourke ’22. She also noted that the team worked cohesively despite the outcome of the game.
“It was very exciting — It was on a corner kick, I believe, and [Rourke] headed it in. It was a beautiful goal,” said Kelly. “I would say that we did very well within the first five minutes. Combining different plays and [playing] the ball to our feet. I think we need to work a little bit more on passing technique, I think we got a little crazy, but overall we stuck together and at the end of the day, we’re still a team.”
According to Kendall Toth ’24, the team prepared for the games against St. Paul’s and Governor’s throughout the week, both on and off the field.
“We trained hard this week with a lot of realistic game-like scenarios, lots of going at goal, and small-sided play. We made sure to fuel, hydrate, and rest our bodies and minds to make sure we were all fully present and ready to go for game day,” said Toth.
Kelly noted that the defensive side of the ball played a key role in the team’s success at shutting out Governor’s.
“We have found a lot of success with our [defenders], we had a few injuries with our two outside backs but they’re all back now, and I feel like right now our communication throughout the field has been really good, and that’s where we have found success,” said Kelly.
According to Kelly, the team is focusing on minimizing fouls and making the most of scoring opportunities.
“We need to work on finishing goals and not giving up as many fouls as we have. We’re a very passionate team, I think sometimes that reflects on our decisions on the field, so I think right now we need to get the ball in the back of the net,” said Kelly.
As the season progresses, the team hopes to focus on general strength and speed, and well as technique, according to Sofia Traversari ’23.
“[We want to work to] improve our fitness, we want to be fitter, we want to be quicker, we want to be more agile than the other team. So we implemented a lot of fitness tests within our training this week. We did a lot of possessing the ball within like small spaces, a lot [of] shooting on the net in reduced phases as well. That helps us, the keepers, react to balls quicker and also keep numbers in the box. We want more people in the opposite box so that we can score more goals,” said Traversari.
Andover Girls Soccer looks to defeat both Northfield Mount Hermon on Saturday and Thayer Academy next Wednesday.
