Eliza Quigley ’15 sniped three goals in the last minute, but Andover Girls Lacrosse lost Wednesday’s game against St. Paul’s 13-11.
With Friday’s game against Pingree canceled because of poor weather conditions, Andover had extra time to prepare for St. Paul’s. However, a week without games since the team’s win over Deerfield on April 10 resulted in a lack of momentum going into Wednesday’s game.
“[St. Paul’s is] a fast and skilled team, and to counter that we have been focusing on draw controls, helping defense and quality offensive possessions,” said Coach Kate Dolan.
Andover kept up with the quick St. Paul’s team, tying the score at five at halftime.
However, St. Paul’s came out of halftime firing and scored roughly three minutes into the second half. St. Paul’s maintained a 13-7 lead until the last minute of the game.
Though the game seemed decided already, Eliza Quigley ’15 continued to fight and netted three out of the four Andover goals in the last minute of the game.
“[Quigley] killed the eight meters. She really made the best of each shot,” said Ashlyn Aiello ’14, the team’s goalie.
Unfortunately, Andover’s efforts came too late in the game, and it lost by a final score of 13-11.
Aiello thought that Andover did a great job initiating plays and finishing its opportunities.
“We won draws and intercepted passes creating turnovers. When we controlled the ball in their end, we were calm, poised and followed the play until the ball was in the back of the net,” she said.
Consistency and urgency were issues for Andover.
Olivia Cabral ’14, whose first game coming off an injury was the match against St. Paul’s, said, “We just need to become more consistent and maintain a level of urgency throughout the entire game.”
“As a team, we must work on playing with intensity for the entire game. Focus holds the play together, and it only takes one unfocused moment for it all to fall apart. Each possession or each shot will dictate which way the game goes,” added Aiello.
Andover proved it could play competitively with any team after losing to St. Paul’s by only a small margin.
“The game showed that we can compete with any team in New England. It’s simply a matter of a bit more consistency with our communication and our level of support for one another,” said Dolan.
Urgency will be a huge theme in the upcoming games against Groton, Northfield Mount Hermon and Taft.
“We need to know that we possess the focus and skill to play with intensity and then trust each other to play confidently each and every moment of the game,” said Aiello.
“Making our shots count and capitalizing on the other teams’ mistakes will definitely help us when we play other good teams,” said Nekele McCall ’14.
Andover plays Groton at home on Saturday at 1:30 p.m.
“We will bounce back,” said Dolan.
