Despite missing starting goalie Kelly Powers ’11, who didn’t play due to a concussion, the Andover girls water polo team claimed an overwhelming 23-9 victory over Hotchkiss on Saturday.
The team suffered a tough 8-13 loss against Suffield in the second game of the afternoon.
In the Hotchkiss game, Andrea Hewett ’13 and Collin Benedict ’12 rose to the occasion, splitting time in goal to replace Powers. The tenacious defense and strong goalkeeping limited Suffield’s offensive threats.
Andover captured control of the game from the start and never gave it up. Nearly every player put the ball in the back of the net to contribute to the team’s 23 goals.
Julia Torabi ’12 summarized the game, saying, “We played extremely well as a team despite the loss of Kelly. Everyone hustled and we kept a high level of energy during the game.”
Coming off the huge win, Andover faced Suffield in part two of the doubleheader. Despite winning in a decisive 15-5 victory two weeks ago, Andover suffered an 8-13 loss this time.
The team fought hard throughout the entire game, and kept the score close until near the end when Suffield pulled away. Three goals from Amelia Danovitch ’13 kept the team in the game. Molly Levene ’12, Julia Smachlo ’13 and Torabi also contributed goals in the losing effort.
Two Suffield players who missed the previous matchup played key roles in handing Andover its third loss of the season. Smachlo said, “With the return of two key players, [Suffield] had much more energy coming into this game than they did in the last game.”
Missed shots and turnovers hurt the team as Suffield capitalized on these Andover mistakes.
Andover looks to play better in their game at Williston Northampton on Saturday. Next Wednesday, the team takes on rivals Exeter and Loomis.
