Co-Captain Tookie Wilson ‘18 crashed in on a Nobles and Greenough forward, stopping Nobles from getting a good shot off in the Andover Girls Soccer game on Wednesday. Despite displaying a strong effort, Andover ultimately lost 2-0. On Sunday, Andover also showed strong defensive plays but settled for a score of 0-0 against Deerfield, bringing its record to 5-5-3.
During the Deerfield game, there were some complications for Andover with unexpected weather conditions and a different playing surface than usual.
“The rainy weather is always difficult [to play in]. People tend to fall and take messy touches, but it’s something that all athletes have to work with. We were also playing on turf for the first time this season. On turf, the ball moves a lot faster and allows for much harder passes and shots, so that was an adjustment for us,” said Co-Captain Molly Katarincic ’18.
Despite having to play in the difficult conditions, Andover displayed some strong plays, particularly by goalie Emily Hardy ’20, according to Katarincic.
“As usual, our keeper Emily Hardy was an exceptional force in the Deerfield game. It’s really nice to have such a talented, confident keeper when the defense falls out of shape, and Emily exemplifies that,” said Katarincic.
According to Wilson, Andover did a solid job of keeping the ball in their possession, but had trouble getting shots past the Deerfield goalie.
“It was a difficult tie. We definitely dominated possession during the game, but I have to give it to Deerfield [for their performance] — and especially to the Deerfield goalie who shut us out,” said Wilson.
Overall, Andover struggled to maintain its composure at tough times throughout the game, according to Katarincic.
“I think, overall, everyone gave great effort, [but] we are still a very young team and so composure in defining moments [of the game] is still something we are working on,” said Wilson.
On Wednesday, according to Katarincic, Andover played with grit against top-competitor Nobles, whose record stands at 11-1-1, and was proud of its effort and ability to unite on the field.
“Today was probably the best game we have played to date, which is really exciting that it is coming together at such a critical part of the season. Our defense, led by Wilson and Mackenzie Lucas ’20, was unstoppable and gave 100 percent of their effort to stopping [Nobles’] quick front runners,” said Katarincic.
Blakeley Buckingham ’20 added, “Nobles is one of the strongest teams in New England, and our defense did such an awesome job shutting them down.”
Moving forward, the team will look to dominate in its last couple games of the season by learning from mistakes made in previous games, according to Katarincic.
Katarincic said, “[On Sunday] I think we could have organized and distributed from our midfield better. It’s certainly something we are going to work on going forward. We needed to get goals, but that can’t happen without good distribution and midfield organization, which is why we struggled.”
Andover will play against Lawrence Academy this Friday under the lights at Phelps Stadium for its “Senior Game.”
“I cannot believe my senior season is coming to an end, but I’m looking forward to my last few games with GVS along with the friendships that I’ve made on the team that I know will last a lifetime. [I am] also pumped for our senior game,” said Wilson.
