With three seconds left, Nekele McCall ’14 ripped home the deciding goal and put Andover Girls Lacrosse above Groton 10-9. With the team tied 8-8 and a minute remaining, Coach Kate Dolan called a timeout to rally the girls together and draw up the game’s winning play. Saturday Andover topped Groton 10-9, a back and forth game proved to give Andover the spark they needed to top Northfield Mount Hermon (NMH). “Having possession was key,” said Hannah Burns ’14 as she recalled the timeout. “Coach Dolan told us to set the ball up behind the cage and wait for the clock to wind down to about 15 seconds.” She added, “At the 15-second mark we were told to look for an open player out front. Nekele was open and we got the ball to her, she was fouled and on her penalty shot with three seconds remaining she converted for the winning goal.” Coach Dolan wrote in an e-mail to The Phillipian, “The Groton game was important for the team to realize what it’s capable of – we can be as great as we choose to be—its all a matter of our effort, determination and cohesion—if we choose to exert full effort for a full game then we will be great.” “We really pulled it together for our game against Groton. We worked as a unit and moved the ball with confidence and assertiveness,” Cara Daly ’13 wrote in an e-mail to The Phillipian. “There was an array of players who scored which represents the versatility and talent that our team possess.” Coming off its win against Groton, Andover was able to roll its momentum into its game against NMH on Wednesday and win on the road 15-8. Guided by spectacular efforts from Captain Hailey Novis ’13 and McCall, Andover was able to continue win its third game of the season. McCall led the way in points with three goals and five assists, followed by Novis’s three goals and one assist. Caroline Garrity ’15 also scored three goals. “[Novis and McCall] always have their head up looking to make plays, they both shoot well and make the best of their chances,” said Amy Morin ’14. Ashlyn Aiello ’14 was the backbone for Andover’s defense, making numerous great saves, including a kick save in the second quarter. Aiello also went on to make three penalty shot saves in a row in the latter part of the second half. NMH buried itself a hole with the amount of penalties it took, tallying four yellow cards, which allowed Andover to play man-up from the middle of the second half and on. “I believe we are definitely in the midst of what is going to become a solid winning streak,” said Daly. “We have the skills and the athleticism, but in order for us to continue to succeed together we need to trust and respect one another 100 percent.” Andover looks for its fourth win of the season against Taft on Saturday.
