Sports Spring Sports

Andover Girls Secures First Victory of Season

Jackie Rossi ’20 is a member of the starting lineup in her second year on the team.


E[a][b]liza Sandell ’20 rocketed the ball directly past the Suffield goaltender into the net, scoring her fourth goal of the second quarter and leading the team to its first victory of the season. Andover Girls Water Polo overcame Suffield away last Wednesday by a score of 12-9 following a 7-17 loss against Deerfield on Saturday.

In its game on Wednesday, the team demonstrated potential for the season ahead, according to Cassidy Sadowski ’22 and Sofia Smirnov ’22.

“Overall, we played really well, and even though we’re only three weeks into the season, you can already see our growth as a team and our progress together,” Sadowski said.

Smirnov added, “Since we’re a new team, we’re starting to not only get to know each other better, but also the positions. And everyone’s starting to get more comfortable in the water.”

According to Smirnov, the team’s defense was one of its greatest strengths in the game against Suffield, and the team performed well despite its lack of practice time.

“We didn’t have a lot of time because there have been so many days off, but we were definitely working on speed, endurance, and also more technical stuff,” said Smirnov.

Moving into the Saturday game against Deerfield, the team looked to work on offense and positioning, according to Sadowski.

“We need to work on watching out for fast breaks and making sure we set up closer to the goal rather than hanging out at mid-pool because we can’t get as many shots from back there.” said Sadowski.

According to both Smirnov and Bianca Rodriguez-Pagano ’21, the dynamic on the team is unparalleled.

“I think the thing I love most about Girls Varsity WoPo is that we’re so close, and we’re super supportive of each other. Especially when we’re in the pool, we’re always cheering each other on,” said Rodriguez Pagano.

The team does not play until next Saturday, when it will compete against Loomis and Choate.