In the 88th minute with the score tied at one in Andover’s matchup against Loomis, Michael Bloom ’12 blasted a shot into the back of the net to seal a victory. Andover captured two big wins this week, holding off Loomis 2-1 on Saturday and dominating Holderness 6-1 on Wednesday. With these impressive wins, the team improves their season record to 3-1.
Assisted by Bloom, Sam Hewat ’12 helped Andover strike first against Loomis, putting them on the board with a 1-0 lead after three minutes. Momentum shifted back and forth for the rest of the half, as both teams could not capitalize. Then, in the 70th minute, Loomis tied the game with a goal on a long direct kick.
It looked as though time might expire without another goal until Bloom fired his shot into the net with just two minutes remaining. The goal gave Andover a 2-1 lead, which they held to defeat Loomis.
“It was a pretty even game, although I think we had more dangerous opportunities,” said Scott. “They out shot us 9-7, but our seven shots collectively were more dangerous than their 9. [Starting goalie] Will Poss ’12 made one excellent save, and their goalie made many.
At halftime on Wednesday against Holderness, Andover was up 1-0 after Bloom scored off an assist from Hewat. After the half, the team blew the game wide open. Coach Scott said, “Once they started getting fired up, the game really opened up. There were a lot of goals late in the game.”
Andover proceeded to score five more goals, only dropping one along the way. In the 55th minute, Graeme Henderson ’14, scored a crisp header on a ball from Bloom. In the 75th minute, Bloom scored again, assisted by Taylor Chin ’14. Two minutes later, Hewat placed the ball in the net for an unassisted goal. Hewat struck again on a pass from Dylan Mott ’15 in the 87th minute. The final goal was courtesy of Gabo Cordero ’12 after Jonathon Westling’s ’12 assist.
Both Andover goalies saw action, with Poss starting and saving eight shots, and Zach Merchant ’13 replacing him and saving four.
Co-Captain Myles O’Neil ’12 said, “We were having some trouble breaking through in the first half, but as soon as the second half started, we started playing well. We used simple passes, and we were connecting passes, switching the field a lot, and getting through their defense.”
Andover looks to continue its success, traveling to Tabor on Saturday.
