Girls Water Polo

Allyson Ty ’18 Tallies 10 Goals in Two Games

In the season opener for Girls Water Polo, Allyson Ty ’18 scored four goals in its 9-3 victory over Loomis Chaffee. On Wednesday, Andover suffered a narrow loss to Phillips Exeter Academy with a final score of 13-11. Andover’s record now stands at 1-1.

On Saturday, Loomis struck first in the pool, but Allyson Ty fired back early in the first quarter to tie the score up at 1-1.

Co-Captain Sarah Al-Mayahi ’17 scored the first goal of the second quarter, but Loomis kept the game close with another goal to tie the game once again. At halftime, the score stood at 2-2.

“At the beginning, we were a little nervous because the game was really close, but once half time came, everyone was really optimistic and motivated to continue playing their best, especially since everyone was playing so well,” said Allyson Ty.

Coming back into the pool, Andover fought with ferocity, outscoring its opponents 7-1 in the second half, to secure an insurmountable lead. Al-Mayahi began the onslaught with her second goal, a shot to the high corner, elevating Andover to 3-2.

“When we started the third quarter, you could tell everyone on the team was determined to win the game,” said Al-Mayahi. “Everyone was making shots during the third quarter and that’s when we pulled away from Loomis and gained the lead.”

Lindi Schroeder ’20, Sveva Rosati ’19, Al-Mayahi, and Allyson Ty scored goals in the third quarter to bring Andover up 6-2 by the end of the quarter. Tactical adjustments in the pool allowed the team to find its stride, according to players on the team.

“For this game we had a big focus on our defense and being able to adapt to Loomis’s offensive plays and have a strong press defense against them,” said Rosati.

In the final quarter of the game, Macey Mannion ’19 scored her first career goal, deepening Andover’s lead to 7-2. In the last minutes of the game, Allyson Ty answered Loomis’s final goal with two of her own. The scoring ended at 9-3 in Andover’s favor.

Describing her new experience on the team, Mannion said, “It has been kind of ‘learn as you go’ for some of it but the team and the coaches are very helpful when I am confused or need help. It was really helpful actually seeing a game this weekend and playing.”

Against its archrival, Andover fell to Exeter in a tight game with a final score of 13-11.

In the first quarter, Exeter scored first, but Co-Captain Morgan Rooney ’17 fired back with a goal for Andover. In the first half, Andover’s determination and perseverance allowed it to pull away from Exeter, up 7-4, but Al-Mayahi suffered three ejections in the first quarter and was forced to sit out the rest of the game.

“The support from the crowd, especially the cheers of the Blue Key Heads really motivated the team to keep pushing towards a stronger defense,” said Kathleen Ty ’19.

Coming off the half, Exeter quickly scored three goals to tie the game, but Rosati brought Andover back up 8-7. Throughout the second half, the rival schools continued to trade goals, and were soon tied at 9-9. Allyson Ty scored her sixth goal of the game, bringing Andover up 10-9, but in the final quarter, Exeter began to pull away, stealing the victory over Andover.

“We did a good job in communicating well with each other in the pool. But, it was really tough to match their counterattacks because they were really quick,” said Allyson Ty.

Andover’s next game will be against Suffield on Wednesday.