Andover Soccer took to the puddle-filled field for what would end as a scoreless tie against Exeter. But the tie secured the team a spot in the New England Class A Tournament. Andover played a well- fought game and came out ready to play, but their efforts were thwarted primarily by the bad conditions. “The puddles on the field made the game very slow and disrupted the flow of the game. I thought we did as well as we could do given the conditions,” said Sam Percival ’10. Andover typically relies on its great passing and smart play, but the tough conditions made it difficult to play this game. Andover did have its opportunities though, including a few in the first half. Tebs Maqubela ’11 and Andrew Woonton ’11 both had good scoring opportunities early that just missed wide. Percival, at left back, also sent some very dangerous balls to the back post that threatened to score, as well as some nice balls into the box that Andover could not finish. Andover’s best opportunity came in the second half off a corner kick. Coach Steven Carr said, “I thought Peter Lee-Kramer [’11] found the corner on a header, but it skipped just wide.” Soon after Peter’s header, Exeter came back strong with 10 minutes left. One shot was ripped on net, but Spencer Macquarrie ’10 made a fantastic save to cap off an exceptional day in goal. “He commanded the box on a wet day, communicated well and made four top shelf saves,” said Carr. In the end, no one was able to pull ahead, and it ended as a tie. It was a frustrating game for Andover, as the team felt it outplayed its rival. McGeachie ’13 said, “I thought we defended with passion and heart, but the field was rough and hard to play on with the puddles. It disrupted the fluid offense that we like to play.” Going into the New England Tournament, third-ranked Andover was confident heading into its first round matchup against sixth-ranked Kent. The majority of the first half went back and forth, and neither team took complete control of the game. There was only a limited number of opportunities to score for both teams. Andover went into the half in a scoreless tie, but hoped to come out with more intensity in the second half. Andover kept pace with Kent for most of the half, but the team fell into a lull for about 20 minutes, which allowed Kent to score the go ahead goal. A Kent winger broke down the right flank beating an Andover defender, and proceeded to send a beautiful ball to center-field. Another player made a great run onto the ball and snuck a shot into the top corner for the game winner. Said Carr, “It was a very even game. They just had a few more opportunities than we did.” Overall, Andover had a very successful season, only losing twice in the regular season. The team definitely improved as a whole and new young talent has emerged as well. Andover has a strong returning cast that should make Andover a championship threat next year as well.
