Eliza Nguyen ’09 contributed three assists and one goal to Andover’s 4-0 win against Pingree last Saturday. The team finished the week with a 5-0 win against Holderness on Wednesday to propel its season record to 11-4 record. On Saturday, the team traveled to Pingree and continued its winning record with a sweeping 4-0 shutout. Though Andover was not on its home turf, it still played with momentum. Nguyen ’09 and Co-Captain Emily Little ’09 set the tone for the rest of the game by assisting and scoring the first goal within the first ten minutes of the half. Soon after that, Nguyen ’09 and Little ’09 teamed up again for the second goal of the game, which put Andover in a 2-0 lead at the half. Goalkeeper Alex Farrell ’10 played the entire half and had several great saves. One particularly impressive save was at the very end of the first half, and kept Pingree off of the scoreboard while keeping Andover up by two. Andover also dominated the second half of the game. Andover’s combination of energy and endurance was clearly superior to its opponents. Nguyen ’09 took control of the ball early on in the first half and scored her third goal of the game. Forward Jacqueline Wallace ’10 managed to net the fourth goal of the game—her first goal of the season. “It was a really impressive goal, but it being her first of the season made it especially exciting!” recalled Carolyn Brown ’09. Goalkeeper Lauren Glynn ’10 continued the saving streak set by Farrell in the first half. Though her efforts were persistent throughout the entire half, there was a close call after Andover’s third goal. Glynn, however, calmly reduced the team’s tension by making a critical save, and by preventing Pingree from scoring for the remainder of the game. Pingree had been undefeated before Saturday’s game, which only added to Andover’s excitement. Coming out 4-0 against an undefeated team certainly boosted the team’s confidence for Wednesday’s game against Holderness, as well as for Exeter on Saturday. Andover continued its winning streak against Holderness at home on Wednesday. The girls came out confident, determined, and ready to win. Ambika Krishnamachar ’10 stole the ball within the first five minutes of the game, and successfully managed to put one in the net. Andover stayed strong and dominated the play. By halftime, Andover had scored two more goals, while Holderness had not scored any. Andover scored again, taking a 4-0 lead with the majority of the second half remaining. Still controlling the game, Andover kept most of the play throughout the second half in Holderness’s end of the field. Stellar defense coupled with Andover’s powerful midfield and offense created several scoring opportunities. When Andover pulled into a five-point lead, Goalkeeper Alex Farrell ’10 tried out the midfield for the last few minutes in the half. Andover prevailed with a 5-0 victory. Andover will play rival Exeter at 11:00 am on Saturday. Andover/Exeter is always an exciting match-up for Girls Soccer, and the 2008 season is no exception.
