Saturday, Garnet Hathaway ’10 scored the lone goal in a tight 1-0 win over Tilton. Tilton came into the game undefeated and proved to be a tough test for Andover. They were very dangerous on the counter-attack with a very fast forward up front. Its defense was also very well organized and tough for Andover to find seems to exploit. Said Coach Carr, “We thought we could possess the ball and attack the flanks. But we also knew that defensively we would have to stay home a bit and defend against the quick counter by retreating and working back defensively to keep them in front of us. We were relatively successful doing both those things and the back line played especially well.” The game started out at a slow pace as both teams tried to feel each other out and look for weaknesses. Eventually Andover began to take control of the pace of the game and receive some chances. Andover did well switching from side-to-side and crossing into the box, but the Tilton goalkeeper played well and kept Andover off of the board. Despite numerous chances for Andover, the game headed into halftime 0-0. Andover continued to control the pace of the game in the second half but was still unable to score. About halfway through the second half, an Andover corner led to a counter-attack for Tilton. A Tilton player received a pass with a one-on-one with goalkeeper Spencer Macquarrie ’10. Macquarrie came out and made the save, but the attacker’s follow through resulted in his knee hitting Macquarrie’s eye, knocking him out of the game and leaving Andover without a goalkeeper. Captain Brian Russell ’09 took over for the remainder of the game in an unfamiliar position. Russell stepped in and was aggressive and confident in cutting out passes in his box. He played the final 30 minutes of the game, preserving the shut-out. Following Macquarrie’s injury, Andover finally broke the tie. Adam Skaggs ’09 received the ball and took a good run down the right flank. He then placed a pass behind the Tilton line to Trevor Gulick-Stutz ’09 who beat a defender wide and took a touch towards goal. Gulick-Stutz then lifted a cross towards the center of the goal. Hathaway out-jumped the Tilton defender and headed the ball low to the far post to give Andover the 1-0 lead. The Andover defense was able to hold on to win the game 1-0. Next week, Andover will once again travel, this time to take on NMH. Though NMH comes into the game with a 2-5-0 record, they have a talented midfield and some very good athletes. Andover will look to counter with its own strong midfield unit of Mike DiFronzo ’11, Andrew Woonton ’11, Chase Potter ’09, Skaggs and Captain Matt Gorski ’09. Once again, Andover’s defense will look to do its part to contribute to another Andover win. Said Carr, “Defensively we have been lead by our back line all year and as long as we are communicating and playing on our front studs, we will continue to be a tough team to score against.” Going forward, Andover will look to continue its very strong team play. Carr continued, “With the strong senior leadership we have, every player seems committed to the cause.” This will have to continue for Andover to continue its strong play.
