Led by a stellar four-point evening from Senior attackman Patrick Curtin ’07, the Andover Boys Lacrosse team toppled Kimball Union by a final score of 8-5. The tempo for the game was set early in the first quarter because of the Andover offense’s patient and precise attack. Andover jumped to a 7-2 lead by halftime as a result of its lengthy possessions, which ended up being its best source of defense. Captain Sean Aaron ’07 certainly looked fresh throughout, stopping 11 of the 13 shots thrown his way, several of which were sparkling, point-blank saves, robbing the Kimball Union attackmen of several goals. One goal from Morgan Griff ’07, two goals from Tyler McDonald ’07, one from John Bukawyn ’08, one goal from Justin Kanter ’07, and two goals from Curtin, to go along with his two assists, led the Andover offense by finishing seven very impressive and nicely worked first-half goals. Griff’s goal was a highlight reel type play. Collecting the ball at midfield, Griff dodged between several defenders before firing a shot past the helpless goalie. The second half was an even slower pace than the first, as Andover was content to hold the ball and let the time wane with its 7-2 lead. After another goal by Kanter, the hardworking Kimball Union squad showed some resiliency, battling back to 8-5. Unfortunately for Kimball Union, time was on Andover’s side, and the opposition simply did not have enough time to make the full comeback. However, it should be noted that many of the reserves were in the game while Kimball Union made its comeback. Looking past the goal scoring, there were three important factors that led to Andover’s successful night: groundballs, clears, and penalties. Groundballs were led by Teddy Bascom ’07 and Luke Deluca ’07, who were ferocious at every opportunity to get their team an extra possession. Clears, in the eyes of Coach Carr, were the team’s biggest improvement from any other game this season. The team was 16 for 18 on its clearing opportunities. Penalties were another huge factor in the game’s outcome. Andover went on the man up six times during the game, converting on two of these opportunities. Andover looks to continue its form on Saturday, when it hosts an perennially talented Choate squad.
