Despite a six-goal effort by Captain Carolyn Pollard ’07, the Andover Girls Lacrosse team fell to Nobles last Saturday with a score of 15-13. After a snowstorm led to a cancellation of Andover’s scrimmage with Middlesex, the team hoped to open the season with a win against Nobles. Coming into the game, Andover aimed specifically to win the draws and control the pace of play. Energized for the first game, Andover came out flying at the opening whistle. Led by Pollard, the Andover offense scored two quick goals to give the team an early 2-0 lead. However, after falling behind early, the Nobles team started to showcase speed and athleticism. Midway through the first half, Nobles took control in the face off circle, dominating the draws. Andover was at a disadvantage after having very little time to practice in the open outdoors, the fields on Siberia having been soaked the previous week. This perhaps contributed to the team’s inability to counter the superb mid-field transition game of Nobles, who immediately took a 3-2 lead. After Andover tied the game up at three, Nobles went on a 6-0 run to open up a commanding 9-3 lead. Every Andover turnover seemed to lead to a Nobles goal in transition. If not for several great saves by goalie Kaitlin Gaiss ’09—who totaled 10 saves for the day—the lead could have been even greater. Despite an Andover goal in the last minute of the half, Nobles went into the halftime break with a solid 9-4 lead. Andover came out for the second half looking to better execute the initial game plan of draw control and to shut down the potent Nobles offense. From the start, the level of effort was much better. However, it seemed that whenever Andover would inch closer by scoring a goal, Nobles would answer with one of its own. Even with the great effort, Andover could not complete the comeback and came out on the losing side of a 15-13 score. The opening day loss was certainly disappointing for the Andover team and coaches, but everyone still took several positive achievements from the first game. Jane Peters ’07, Kit Harris ’07, Karen Schoenherr ’07 and Jen Downing ’08 all had great games on defense, doing a great job against the athletic attackers on Nobles. To go along with Pollard’s six goals, Emily Little ’09 and Captain Annie Boylan ’07 each recorded multiple points on offense. After the loss, the team looked to work on their transition play before Wednesday’s game against a strong Deerfield team. Transitions and possession did indeed improved as the Andover team bounced back to beat Deerfield, 11-8. After an evenly played first half, Andover held a 6-4 lead. The game, marked by solid play on both sides, seemed like it would come down to the wire. However, Andover came out motivated in the second half and won the first three draws. The team took advantage of the face off wins, scoring 3 goals in the first 2:12 of the half. The success in possessing the ball off the draws allowed Andover to take a 9-4 lead. Just when it looked as if the Andover offense could not be stopped, Deerfield made a defensive adjustment and prevented Andover from shooting any point-blank shots. Stifled by the Deerfield defense, Andover did not score the 10th goal until five minutes remained in the half. Fortunately for Andover, the defense did a great job containing the Deerfield forwards. Katelyn Foley ’07 also stood strong in goal, keeping Andover ahead on the scoreboard. The game ended with a well-deserved win for Andover to the record at 1-1. A complete team effort led to the win at Deerfield, as nine players scored for Andover. Little and Lindsay Weiner ’08 led the way, each scoring two goals for Andover. If the weather cooperates, Andover will travel to Pingree this afternoon for a Friday night game.
