Louis-Thomas Vincent ’25 evades pressure in the midfield.
Kai Myles ’27 dribbles the ball, preparing to shoot.
Andover: Kimball Union Academy (KUA) 1:0
Andover: Tabor 4:2
Boys Varsity Soccer faced two intense matchups on Saturday and Wednesday against Kimball Union Academy (KUA) and Tabor Academy. Despite a 0-0 halftime against KUA, Co-Captain Spencer Madge ’25 scored the winning goal against the defending New England class B Champions. On Wednesday, Andover dominated Tabor.
According to Sunny Yu ’28, the week’s preparations were intense, with plenty of overview on tactics and watching film. Against KUA, Yu highlighted how the team united under an energetic environment.
Yu said, “Everyone stood out. We played the best game we’ve played all season as a team… Everyone had heart… If we lose, we’re out, that’s the end of our season… It was the most fans we’ve had all season… It was in a stadium, under the lights, scary, but exciting.”
Kai Myles ’27 applauded Edrian Vargas ’27 for finding his rhythm against KUA. Myles noted how Vargas had stepped up to and became anchor the defensive line could rely on.
“This was the best game he’s played all season. It’s his first year on the team, and he took the starting back role we needed, alongside Sebastian [Mejia-Rivera ’25], who’s a Captain. He’s had ups and downs this season, but this game really showed his potential and ability, and how good he can genuinely become in the future. I don’t think we could’ve asked for anything more from him,” said Myles.
Within the first ten minutes, Andover attempted to find its way into KUA’s post. Jeff Shen ’26 highlighted Marc Nelson ’25 for his early attempt, which gave Andover the momentum it needed. Shen also credited Paul Gichana ’25 and Myles for putting pressure on the KUA defense.
Shen said, “Early in the first half, striker Marc Nelson had a chance to score. Although the keeper made a great save, it boosted our morale and showed us that we could break through their defense. In the second half, we quickly had shots from Paul Gichana and Kai Myles, which again challenged their defense and put a lot of pressure on them.”
Against Tabor, Averell Hunt ’25 recalled a standout moment from players like Luca Masters ’25, who nailed a left-footed goal. Hunt also commented on the shortcomings that manifested in the second half of the game.
Hunt said, “Luca had a beautiful goal shot from his left… We definitely showed off our strengths in this game through our finishing. We converted a lot of our opportunities and scored a lot of goals. In the second half, I think the team definitely could have had more chemistry. We could have definitely worked better together.”
With two crucial games left to secure a playoff spot, Boys Soccer is looking to finish its final stretch strongly, noted Myles. Last season, Andover won against Phillips Exeter Academy during Andover-Exeter Weekend. The team hopes to follow suit this year.
“We definitely had more control over the ball than we’ve had all season, connecting passes and creating more chances. We looked much more like an attacking team. On the downside, we allowed a few too many opportunities on counter-attacks. But overall, this was probably our best game of the season,” said Myles.
Boys Soccer will host against Exeter this Saturday.
