In the annual Prep Cup, Andover Girls Lacrosse went 1-1, winning to St. Paul’s 16-11 and losing to Dexter Southfield 9-16. The Cup, held at Dexter Southfield from Friday to Sunday, also included Lawrenceville, Phillips Exeter Academy (Exeter), Sacred Heart, St. Paul’s, and Deerfield.
Andover was down a significant number of players over the weekend, forcing teammates to adapt to new roles, according to Shea Freda ’24.
“Considering the circumstances we did play really well and a lot of people were able to step up and fill some shoes. Actually our JV goalie, Gracie Fagan ’24, played for us which was awesome and she did a great job filling the shoes of our goalie who wasn’t able to be there,” said Freda.
Co-Captain Lulu Rourke ’23 also stepped up in the tournament, according to Quiana Bell ’26. With Dexter Southfield’s draw taker standing at six feet tall, Andover faced difficulty maintaining possession throughout Sunday’s game.
“Our coach ended up putting Lulu on the draw. She plays defense usually and I think that was one of the big momentum changes. We still didn’t end up winning that game, but I feel like putting Lulu on the draw and having her speed and her aggressiveness and her ability to just like find those ground balls and scoop through them really helped motivate our team and just helped us build our confidence,” said Bell.
The team faced heavy rain in the game against St. Paul’s. Despite the poor weather conditions, the team rose to the challenge and showcased its persistence, according to Bell.
“We all felt super close to each other during that game. [We] all felt like a team… we all just had fun playing. Sure, we wanted the game to be over and get out of the rain, but I think it was kind of a rallying moment. Like, ‘What are we gonna do with this weather? How are we going to let that stop us? How are we going to push through that and keep supporting each other as a team?’ And so I just think that created a really fun little community in the rain on Saturday,” said Bell.
Charley Drouin ’25 expressed her excitement for the team’s final game of the regular season: the annual Andover/Exeter rivalry. Exeter enters the matchup with a 13-1-1 record, while Andover enters with a 15-4 record.
“Exeter has a lot of skill and a lot of talent and they are going to be a very strong team. But I think that our team is even stronger because we have just improved so much from the beginning of the year to the end. And I think that our plays have definitely become a big part of this team. And I think just working as a team and being there to support everyone will make a very big difference when we go to Exeter on Friday,” said Drouin.
Andover will play at Exeter on Friday.
