Evagelia Toffoloni ’15 scored the game winning goal against Loomis when she pounced on a rebound off the Loomis goalie and tucked the rebound in the goal.
Andover Field Hockey faced a tough opponent in Loomis Chaffee under the lights of Phelps Stadium, but Andover’s strong defense held Loomis to only two shots on net throughout the entire game.
Andover was able to pull a 2-1 victory last Friday night.
“Loomis beat us last year 4-2, so we were seeking revenge against them. We knew they would be a tough opponent and we would have to fight to keep our composure and poise,” said Lila Dolan ’15.
Both teams exchanged scoring opportunities in the first half. Both teams had difficulty finding the back of the net, and the first half ended knotted at zero.
“At halftime, Coach Dolan said that it was the best she had seen us play, and that sometimes you can dominate a game, but you still don’t get the results you want. She told us that if we keep playing as hard as we were playing that we would come out on top,” said Eliza Quigley ’15.
Andover led in every category with a total of 12 shots and 19 corners.
Ten minutes into the second half a ball finally bounced Andover’s way on an offensive corner. The ball was sent to Lexi Davidson ’17, who fired a shot on net that deflected off of the stick of Nikoletta Toffoloni ’15 and into the net.
Andover started to control the play after Nikoletta Toffoloni’s goal. The team had an opportunity to score on a breakaway from Quigley, as she used her speed to pass Loomis’s defenders and get a shot on net that the goalie was able to save.
After ten minutes of Andover controlling the play, the team was able to rally around its momentum and add to its lead when Evagelia Toffoloni crashed the net and finished on a rebound that had Loomis’s goalie out of position.
“I think my goal raised the energy level. We were definitely excited, but Loomis also didn’t let up. They held their own until the end of the game, so we had to match their intensity in order to secure our win,” said Evagelia Toffoloni.
Loomis would not go down without a fight, bringing everything it had in the last ten minutes. Loomis capitalized on an offensive push with about five minutes left in the second half, cutting Andover’s lead in half.
Andover exemplified its strong defense in the remaining minutes to hold off Loomis’s offensive charge at the end of the game, resulting in a 2-1 win for Andover.
“It was a huge win, it showed us how well we can play when we all play together. We need to keep that momentum going into our Brooks game,” said Quigley.
Andover looks to keep its winning streak alive this weekend, as it travels to Brooks on Friday and then down to Tabor on Saturday.
