Zoe Chazen ’14 stormed down the field, weaved through three defenders and crossed the ball in the air to find Co-Captain Hannah Guzzi ’14, who finished off the play with a diving header to the top right corner of the net in the middle of the second half of Andover Girls Soccer game on Wednesday against Governor’s.
Guzzi’s goal solidified Andover’s 2-1 away victory over Governor’s, a previously undefeated team. This was one of two times that Andover has ruined a team’s undefeated record this season, the first being Choate on October 5.
“Overall it’s been hard having a losing record, but we proved again that we can beat any team we want to when we all focus and come together as a single unit. The game [against Governor’s] was a good confidence booster and gave us momentum to work off of for the rest of the season,” said Co-Captain Diana Tchadi ’14.
Prior to Wednesday’s game, Governor’s had only allowed four goals the entire season. Dynamic forwards Alex Thomas ’15 and Guzzi worked together, each scoring one goal. Thomas’s goal came 15 minutes into the game off an assist from Guzzi.
Governor’s offense, led by three powerhouse forwards, has been dominant this season with a total of 21 goals scored in eight games before facing Andover.
Andover’s defense did a great job of not allowing the forwards to penetrate. Governor’s was unable to score until the last ten minutes of the game when it capitalized on a corner kick.
“The team didn’t let the outside factors, some would say the intimidating team, affect the game. We played our game from the first whistle,” said Elizabeth Kemp ’15.
Under the lights last Saturday, the team battled cold weather and slippery turf to tie St. Paul’s 1-1 in a comeback during the final ten minutes of the game.
With 12 minutes remaining in the first half, St. Paul’s lofted a shot over the head of goalie Antonia Tamarro ’17 from 35 yards out to take the lead. St Paul’s dominated the first half with quick transitions and chaotic attacks which split Andover’s defense down the middle.
Andover started the second half with a bang by creating many attacks on goal and playing aggressively up the middle. However, the team failed to capitalize on its opportunities as the St. Paul’s goalie was quick off her line.
Andover scrambled during the final ten minutes to score the equalizer. Andover’s many efforts were finally successful after a 30-yard rocket from Guzzi with seven minutes left on the clock.
“We were really hyped up to see the team win so well especially since in the beginning we weren’t too sure where to go, considering how many Seniors we had lost,” said Tessa Peterson ’15.
Hungry for another win, Andover hopes to improve its 4-5-1 record at home game against Northfield Mount Hermon on Saturday.
