Neicia Smith ’25 searches the field for an open teammate.
Andover Girls Lacrosse faced off against Milton Academy, Pingree School, and St. Paul’s School on Friday, Saturday, and Wednesday, respectively. Of these games, Andover took two wins against Milton and Pingree, ultimately falling by one to St. Paul’s in double-overtime.
The team started off against Milton Academy on Friday. According to Neicia Smith ’25, the game had a slow start, however with Andover’s defensive prowess, it was able to end with good energy and explosiveness.
“We came out a little bit slow. They were up by three in the first couple quarters but then we started a chip at their lead. Our defense played really well and after we were able to make some defensive stops and put together some good plays we were able to take the game to overtime and come out with the win,” said Smith.
In the team’s next game, it took on Pingree team, ultimately winning 10-8. Neily Ware ’25 highlighted the competitive match up followed by Andover’s ultimate offensive success.
“The game against Pingree was definitely a competitive and exciting one. We were back and forth, they would go up, then we would go up. They were a talented team, and we knew that going into the game. We were just able to execute and we ended up with the win, so I think it was a good showing for the team. We had lots of energy on the field and from the bench and our players really came together,” said Ware.
On Wednesday, Andover had another tough matchup against St. Paul’s. This season, St. Paul’s has been averaging 12.4 goals per game, making them a prominent offensive team. Peyton Kennedy’ 25 commented on the team’s unfortunate loss.
“The game was very back and forth. I’m pretty sure we ended a lot of quarters tied. They would score, we would score, we’d be down by two, we’d come back. There were just a lot of momentum shifts, making it very much a possession game. They were winning a lot of draws, but sometimes we just capitalized. We still ended up tied going into the end of the game and we just could not hold off them [St. Paul’s] in the end,” said Kennedy.
In these games, Molly Boyle ’25 played in a commanding role as the goalkeeper. Ware credited Boyle for serving as a strong base for the team’s defense.
Ware said, “I think recently, including the Milton game and our game against Pingree, Molly’s really been crushing it in goal. She’s stepped in, she alternates in spare time, so she’s stepped up a lot for us recently and has come up with some incredible saves. She has really been holding us down in the back and coming in clutch for the team.”
Blake Kennedy ’25 highlighted Co-Captain Lauren Herlihy ’25 for her offensive playmaking. Her goal against St. Paul’s helped shift team morale, contributing to Andover going into overtime.
“At the end of one of the quarters, maybe the third, Lauren scored this crazy goal from a sick pass from Neicia to then tie it up when we were down. She scored a buzzer beater which really was a momentum shifter because that whole quarter we were down by two points,” said Kennedy.
Looking forward, the team will focus on its next game, noted Kennedy. She explained how Andover will continue to execute a similar game plan to the previous week, while playing more aggressively on offense.
“Our next game is on Saturday against Choate. They are not a very strong team, so I think we will probably just play our same game and work on capitalizing on our attacks when we have possession. We have been working on new plays during practice, so we will probably run a few of those and maybe try out some new defensive sets,” said Kennedy.
On Saturday, Girls Lacrosse will face Choate.
