Two minutes into the game against Loomis Chaffee, Captain Beth Krikorian ’17 lifted the ball into the net off of a penalty corner. Krikorian’s goal set the tone for the rest of the game, which ultimately ended in a 2-0 victory for Andover Field Hockey. The team’s undefeated record now stands at 4-0-1.
Loomis has always proved to be a tough opponent; two seasons ago, it took Andover out of contention for the championship.
“Personally, I felt really excited going into our Loomis game because there is a lot of tension between us considering what’s gone down in past years,” said Lauren Overly ’17, a four-year veteran on the team.
Krikorian said, “There was a lot of excitement going into the game. Although Exeter is obviously our biggest rival, Loomis is one team that has followed closely over the past few years. We were really pumped going into this game.”
Andover maintained possession for the majority of the first half, but Head Coach Kate Dolan advised the team to stay focused and play all the way through the end of the game.
“[Coach Dolan] reminded the players to leave everything on the field,” said Jackie McCarthy ’19.
Overly said, “[Coach Dolan] always motivates us to do better and inspires us with her words of wisdom.”
Andover was able to control the game by keeping the ball in the offensive zone, allowing for many offensive opportunities. As a result, two minutes into the second half, Ashley Tucker ’18 scored the second goal of the game off a rebound.
“We moved the ball quickly which created a lot of two-on-ones and lots of corners,” said Meghan Ward ’19.
Krikorian said, “Everyone worked really hard and was relentless when re-defending and getting the ball back in the midfield when we lost it.”
Utilizing its full week of practices, Andover will focus on playing a smarter game and coming together as a team.
“We have put a lot of work in this week already on trying to fine tune our game and I’m excited to see how that comes together,” said Overly.
Krikorian said, “I know that everyone is really excited to have our first home game on a Friday night. It’s one of few home games this season, so we are looking forward to being on our turf. We’ve been talking a lot about what we need from each other as a team, so we are working on implementing all of those things in the game.”
Andover will face Brooks this Friday in its first home game of the season.
