Andover Boys Water Polo secured a spot in the NEPSAC playoffs and extended its winning streak to five games this past weekend. Andover defeated Loomis Chaffee, 12-9, on Saturday and Suffield, 12-9, on Wednesday.
Andover’s five-game winning streak comes on the heels of a three-game losing streak. Andover’s record now stands at 5-4.
Andover’s victory over Loomis was its second against the team this season: Andover barely defeated Loomis 8-7 earlier in the season on a late goal from Darren Ty ’16.
After jumping out to an early lead, Andover seemed to stumble on defense. The team allowed three Loomis goals in the fourth quarter alone. Goalie Elliot Sagay ’15 continued his stellar play in the net, however, to hinder a late Loomis run with less than two minutes left in the game.
“When our defense got lazy late in the half and our lead was cut from five to three, the play by [Sagay] really saved us,” said Jonathan Xue ’17.
Rookie Dylan Norris ’16 drew a foul within the five-meter line to earn a penalty shot for Co-Captain Nick Faulkner ’16, while other rookie Jake Taylor ’16 scored the first goal of his career.
“This is [Taylor’s] and [Norris’s] first year playing water polo, and they’ve both improved a lot over the season to become really solid players,” said Faulkner.
With its win against Suffield on Wednesday, Andover secured a playoff spot.
Unfazed by Suffield’s offensive push and Andover’s defensive miscues at times, Sagay continued his strong performance in the net.
“[Sagay] had a ton of absurd saves in goal and exceeded the extent of his ability,” added Taylor.
“Suffield relied on motion in their offense and their turnovers. They set picks and made switches, and if they stole the ball they always had a man who beat us down in the pool on a fast break. Most of their goals came from two-on-ones or one-on-nobodies. If we cover better and find more shooting opportunities from the perimeter, we’ll be in good shape,” said Co-Captain Marc Sevastopoulo ’15.
Andover will continue to work on ball control, passing and absorbing pressure to make dynamic plays.
Andover faces off against St. John’s Prep to begin a three-game home stretch this Saturday.
