Despite sloppy play, Andover pulled out an impressive 15-6 win against North Reading High School last Friday. Co-Captain Thomas Armstrong ’11 said, “We were fortunate to be able to use the entire team in the victory. While our play was sloppy, I’m confident that Friday’s game will strengthen the team come tournament time.” Andover took the field with low energy, playing sloppy in the beginning of the game and allowing North Reading to make plays on offense. Led on defense by co-Captain Turner Shaw ’11, Andover took command of the game both offensively and defensively. “Again, we started off slow but picked it up on offense as well as defense,” said David Russell ’12. “We had low energy at first, but after a timeout we soon regained our momentum. Armstrong definitely brought his A-game.” The game was a great chance for all of the players to log some quality minutes in the game. Every player on the team rotated into the game against North Reading, allowing the newer players to learn from game situations. In addition, the rotating of players allowed for the uppers on the team to take on leadership positions during the plays. “North Reading was a team that allowed us to play our entire team, thus everyone had a chance to learn the game,” Shaw said. “We struggled a little bit with turnovers because a few new players had trouble with throws and positioning, but it was good to learn how to manage these common errors.” Newcomer Alec Tolentino ’14 had an exceptionally great game. Tolentino was a key player for Andover both on offense and on defense. On Wednesday, Andover traveled to Somerville and dominated the game from the beginning. Andover’s vertical offense and tenacious defense quickly wore out the small Somerville team and Andover went on to win 15-6. “We completely outplayed Somerville,” said Armstrong. “They had a small team so we quickly tired out their players with hard cutting and person defense. They resorted to hucking it deep on nearly every point, and Turner was great in knocking down the disc. Overall a good win, but we still have much to clean up.” Incredible pulls by Lucas Christopherson ’12 and defensive help from newcomer Jack McGeachie ’13 helped Andover secure its third win of the season. “Jack McGeachie played incredibly well as a wing on the zone defense, while also picking up the gist of a stack offense,” Brandon Wong ’12. “Keep in mind this was literally his second day ever playing ultimate, and I just can’t wait to see so much more to come this season.” Andover Ultimate takes on Belmont Hill next Wednesday.
