Andover: 7, Tabor: 2
Andover: 3, Pingree: 3
Andover: 2, Austin Prep: 1
The Girls Soccer (5-2-1) team played three games in five days, finishing with two wins and one draw. They maintained high energy throughout all their matches, which was crucial to their success.
Ashley Dimnaku ’28 touched on how the team stayed competitive throughout the Tabor Academy game despite the score. She additionally explained how the team found success when it came to switching the field and getting the ball into the attacking third.
“One thing we did especially well in the Tabor game was staying competitive throughout the whole game. Even while we were up by such a large lead. Specifically, the team transitioned the ball successfully at speed into the final third. We also switched the field very well to the weak side,” said Dimnaku.
Co-Captain Emily Mara ’25 spoke on how before the Tabor game the team was very energetic and ready to come out playing hard because the team knew it was going to be a close game that was important for its record.
“We were hyped up for the game from the start because, in the past, Tabor has been very good. Like in my [Junior] year, we lost to them, and last year we only beat them 2-1 in a Friday night game at Tabor. So, we all knew it was going to be a close game, and we really wanted to win. We knew it would be huge for our record if we beat them, too,” said Mara.
Murathime Daisley ’26 highlighted the standout performances of Dimnaku in the Pingree game and Ginny Marshall ’25 in the Austin Preparatory School (Austin Prep) game, praising Dimnaku’s ability to capitalize on offensive plays and Marshall’s crucial game-winning goal.
Daisley said, “In the Pingree game, a lot of people stood out, but especially our [Junior], Ashley Dimnaku. She came out and she scored two goals, her first goals of the season, which shows the work she’s been putting in. Today, versus Austin Prep, Ginny Marshall scored our game-winner, which was amazing. It was also her first goal which is great to see.”
Daisley also spoke on how she feels that the team can work on having consistent momentum throughout the whole game. She specifically mentioned the importance of starting the game off strong.
“Consistent momentum throughout the whole game would lead to a lot of improvement for us, because it takes us getting scored on for us to find the initiative to keep going and get that fire. I feel like we are so talented as a squad that if we just started strong from the beginning and kept it up, then we would see a lot of success on the field,” said Daisley.
Dimnaku emphasized the importance of playing simple passes in the upcoming game against Choate to minimize turnovers and create more goal-scoring opportunities. She highlighted how by transitioning the ball effectively into the final third, the team can always be firing away at the goal.
Dimnaku said, “One thing the team can improve upon in the game against Choate this upcoming Saturday is playing the simple pass. Sometimes when you play the challenging pass it’s either a turnover or the pass is bouncing, which is not the game of soccer we want to play. We want to play simple passes to transition the ball into the final third. This will create more goal scoring opportunities.”
Girls Soccer plays Choate away on Saturday.
