Girls Soccer huddled, discussing their the numerous off-side calls during their game.
10/19- Andover: 6, NMH: 1
10/23- Andover: 1, Thayer: 1
Girls Soccer has extended its successful record with another win and a tie. On Saturday, they had a victorious face-off against Northfield Mount Hermon (NMH), followed by a match against Thayer four days later on Wednesday that ended in a draw.
During the NMH game, the team was only up by one goal at halftime, but a five-goal surge in the second half secured the win. Nina Oswanski ’28 reflected on the team’s momentum in the later half, crediting their success to quick transitions and successful passes of long balls.
“We won the NMH game 6-1 and were only up by one goal at half. We managed to score [five] in the second half by having lots of breakaways and playing long balls,” said Oswanski.
Oswanski added to her previous point by noting how the team’s second goal seemed to stimulate the rest of the goals. Because of the numerous goals, the atmosphere and energy of the game became less tense.
“I would say the second goal we scored against NMH really got us going in the second half and led to us scoring the rest of our goals that game… The atmosphere of the NMH game was more fun and relaxed I would say. We were having a lot of fun that game,” said Oswanski.
The match against Thayer proved to be more challenging. Although Wylie Roossien ’26 netted the opening goal in the first half from a pass by Co-Captain Emily Mara ’25, Thayer responded with an equalizer from a corner kick in the second half. Despite several offensive chances, the team was unable to find the back of the net again.
“We tied 1-1. We scored first in the first half; Wiley scored, and then in the second half, they scored off a corner kick. We had a lot of chances, but we just couldn’t finish. They’re a pretty good team, but I think we should have won. It was a super intense game with a lot of fouls both ways. The game was close the whole time, always within one goal. It was high-intensity and aggressive, ” said Decker.
Lola Aguirre ’26 spoke on the team’s preparation heading into the games by explaining how practices had focused on sharpening their offensive strategy. The team worked extensively on passing patterns, one-touch drives, and shooting drills to open up more opportunities for attack.
“We were really hyped going into the [Thayer] game. It was a very big game for us, and during practice, we [did] a lot of passing patterns and a lot of one-touch drives, and shooting [drills]. We mostly focused on the attacking side in order to create more offensive chances in the game,” said Aguirre.
With the intensity of the match, Emily Decker ’26 emphasized a pivotal moment in the Thayer game, pointing out how Roossien’s first-half goal was instrumental in setting the tone. Decker also highlighted Co-Captain Hayden Fischer ’25 as a standout player in the game.
“Wylie’s goal at the end of the first half was really good and set us up well going into the second half. [It] brought up the energy for sure. I think Fischer did super well in the midfield and played great,” said Decker.
Though the team played well overall, the games underlined areas for improvement, especially in terms of finishing. Decker reflected on Thayer’s narrow field and how it may have impacted the team’s overall performance.
“Our strength was that everyone was working super hard and putting in a lot of effort. Our weakness was just not being able to finish. I also think the field played a factor since it was super narrow, so we didn’t have a lot of space out wide. That definitely took some adjusting,” said Decker.
Decker also explained her excitement for the rest of the season and the team’s goal to make the playoffs.
“Our main goal is to make playoffs. [In practices,] we’ve been working a lot on finishing [corner kicks] and converting chances because that’s something we’ve struggled with. We keep outshooting other teams but need to score more goals. Overall, I thought we did well, and I’m excited for the rest of the season,” Decker said.
Andover Soccer plays Deerfield this upcoming Saturday at home.
