Andover Girls Soccer lost 2-1 to Loomis in overtime at home in a thrilling semi-final match in the New England Class A Tournament.
In the 30th minute of the first half, Andover capitalized first on a throw in from Kira Wyckoff ’12. The ball bounced in the box, and Nekele McCall ’14 hit it to Zoe Chazen ’14 who tapped it in for the goal.
For the remainder of the half, Andover’s defense, led by center back Piper Curtis ’13, shut down the Loomis strikers, and neither team was able to score. Andover’s strikers fought hard but were unable to slip past Loomis’s solid defense.
In the second half, Andover’s defense continued to shut down Loomis’s strikers for the first 15 minutes. Loomis found its opportunity to equalize when an Andover foul in the 18-yard box resulted in a penalty kick. With a well placed shot, Loomis was able to level the score at 1-1.
Both teams strived to tuck away the winning goal that would earn them a spot in the finals, but neither could capitalize. The whistle blew with the score still tied at 1-1, signaling the start of overtime.
Five minutes into the first half of overtime, a Loomis midfielder slotted a ball through Andover’s defense and a Loomis striker ran onto it and booted the ball into the net to take a 2-1 lead.
Andover battled hard to come back from the deficit, but the Loomis defenders proved too strong, and even after the second half of overtime, Andover was unable to equalize. The final whistle sounded with Loomis winning 2-1.
After an incredible and inspiring ride, Andover Girls Soccer exited the New England Tournament, while Loomis moved onto the finals.
Though Andover didn’t win a championship, the team worked day in and day out and enjoyed a successful season. “This was my favorite team I’ve ever played on, so it was sad to have the season end, but it was an amazing season and I’m so glad to have gotten a chance to play with all these girls,” said Hannah Guzzi ’14.
