Goals from Kira Wyckoff ’12 and Hannah Guzzi ’14 propelled Andover Girls Soccer to a 2-1 home victory over a talented Loomis Chaffee team.
In need of a win after a frustrating 2-2 tie to Middlesex, Andover outplayed and outworked the very technically skilled Loomis. Andover scored its first goal 15 minutes into the game when Nekele McCall ‘14 sent a cross into the six-yard box, which center midfielder Wyckoff back-heeled past Loomis’ keeper and into the net. This gave McCall her fifth assist of the season, earning her the nickname “the passing master.”
“I was facing the opposite direction from where I wanted to shoot, and since I didn’t have a lot of time, I just raised my leg and kicked it with the back of my heel into the net; it was definitely a fun goal,” said Wyckoff.
Both teams went scoreless for the remainder of the first half, although Andover had a number of chances on net. Andover’s back line, consisting of center backs Marianne Brunet ’12 and Piper Curtis ’13, left back Aly Wayne ’14 and right back Diana Tchadi ’14, kept a tight defense that kept Loomis from generating any scoring opportunities.
“Our defense overall was very solid, and [it] even managed to shut down two nationally ranked players on Loomis,” said Guzzi.
Loomis looked to come back after halftime when it managed to draw a penalty kick only 15 minutes into the second half. Despite the efforts of goalkeeper Emily Hoyt ’13, Loomis capitalized on the penalty kick to level the score 1-1.
For the rest of the half, Andover wrestled for control of the game and pushed for a chance on net with an admirable performance from Co-Captain Leah Humes ’12, playing striker in only her second game back after being off the field with a broken foot.
With 10 minutes left on the clock, Alex Thomas ’15 sent a cross pass to Guzzi, who blastd a half-volley into the side of the net to win the game. This marked Guzzi’s second goal in four games.
Currently with a record of 2-1-1, the team will have a week to recover and train hard as they prepare for Friday’s home game against BB&N.
