An Andover athlete aims to get around a Milton defender.
19/9 – Andover: 3, Rivers: 0
23/9 – Andover: 1, Milton: 0
Girls Soccer (2–0) opened its season with a 3–0 shutout win against Rivers on Saturday, followed by a 1–0 home win over Milton. The two wins marked a strong start to the season, with players crediting both preparation and team chemistry along the way.
After the team’s scrimmages against Lawrence Academy (Lawrence) and Pomfret were canceled, a match against Rivers marked the first time Girls Soccer took the field together. Lilah Velez ’29 described how the team adapted to succeed on both ends of the field.
“It was our first time playing an eleven-versus-eleven game all together, so it was different than practice. We didn’t get to have a scrimmage beforehand, so it was our first time playing all together as a team against another team. We were really good at finishing and on rebounds. Our wingers and outside backs had strong crosses, and our defense was doing well. It was a shutout. Our goal didn’t get a lot of action, which is a good thing. We mostly played on their half of the field,” said Velez.
Emma Sharon ’29 elaborated on the specialized preparation the team put into adjusting to Rivers’ shorter field, particularly on set pieces.
“That’s free kicks and corners. Since it was a shorter field, we knew we would get a lot of corner kicks and free kicks. We also worked on penalty kicks, because the field was shorter, so the box would be higher up the field than normal. So we made sure to work on those chances, on our set pieces, on where we get set and start,” said Sharon.
Velez described the team’s atmosphere during the game and credited teammate and Blue Key Head Elizabeth Wodarski ’27 with bringing energy to the group.
“We have the Blue Key Head [Wodarski], and she definitely hypes this up along with the [Co-]Captains. The bus ride there, we have the speaker with a lot of fun music, and everyone gets along well. We have a good team. Everyone’s friends,” said Velez.
With the season underway, the team is already looking ahead and making goals for the rest of the year. Sharon elaborated on some of these goals.
“Our goal for the season is to make the NEPSAC playoffs, because last year we didn’t make it. We want to make it this year, and once we get there, hopefully that’s a NEPSAC championship. We don’t want to go too far ahead, though. We don’t want to go into the game tomorrow against Milton too comfortable just because we beat Rivers. We always go in with a humble mindset,” said Sharon.
That mindset carried into Wednesday’s matchup, as the team hosted its first home game against Milton. Elizabeth Patton ’29 described how the team fared against Milton, eventually securing the 1–0 win.
“We played Milton, and overall the team did pretty well at holding their own. It was a tough opponent, so the defense did really well, making sure that the other team had no opportunities or chances. We held on until the end and kept our 1–0 lead from the first half,” said Patton.
Patton also emphasized the excitement and atmosphere of playing in front of a home crowd for the first time this season.
“We had the Blue Key Heads there, and everyone on the sidelines was cheering. Everyone was lifting each other up, and everyone was excited to play their first home game,” said Patton.
Girls Soccer will play Loomis Chaffee (Loomis) on Sunday at Suffield.
