After a fierce defensive battle, Nobles & Greenough tied Field Hockey with less than five minutes to play, as the two teams finished 2-2. Nobles dominated the game early, but Andover’s strong defense responded and prevented them from scoring. With 5:45 to go in the first half, Jamie Harisiades ’08 received a pass off a penalty corner and beat the Nobles goalie for the game’s first goal. The teams headed into halftime with Andover leading 1-0. The second half began with Nobles again applying great pressure on the Andover defense. However, on a fast break, Andover brought the ball into the Nobles end, and Lindsey Weiner ’08 scored on assists from Meg Shea ’07 and Harisiades to put Andover up 2-0. Less than two minutes later, Nobles responded with its first goal, moving the score to 2-1. Both teams then continued their strong defensive play. With less than five minutes remaining in regulation, Nobles scored to tie the game 2-2. Andover received a corner in the final seconds of the half but was unable to capitalize on this last-second chance. The game headed into overtime, tied 2-2. In overtime, Andover had several good chances, including a man-up opportunity when a Nobles player received a yellow card. However, the team could not convert. The defensive front was led by goalie Ale Moss ’07, who had an excellent performance, making 11 saves. After the tie, Andover moved to 5-1-2 on the year. Wednesday, coming off two consecutive ties, the Andover Field Hockey Team overcame a slow start to beat a strong Middlesex team, 2-1. Andover received chances early, including a corner in the opening seconds, but the team was unable to capitalize and both teams entered halftime scoreless. Andover came out strong to start the second half. Less than three minutes in, Carly O’Leary ’07 received a crisp pass from Shea. She was able to beat the Middlesex goalie to break the tie and put Andover up 1-0. Just forty seconds later, Andover was awarded a penalty stroke. Lauren Jackson ’07 stepped to the line and fired a hard shot into the corner past the Middlesex goalkeeper. The goal put Andover up 2-0. Soon after, Middlesex scored and cut the Andover lead in half. The PA offense looked to increase the lead, but Middlesex continued to dominate the half. Andover was able to hold the lead with strong, conservative defense. The game ended with Andover squeezing by with a 2-1 victory. With the win, Andover moves to 6-1-2 on the season. Next week, Andover will travel to face a 4-5-2 NMH team.
