Fall Sports Girls Soccer Sports

Girls Soccer Beats Exeter in a One-Goal Game

Andover came out on top after tying with Exeter the previous two years.


Taking a free kick from 35 yards out, Co-Captain Rachel Chang ’20 curved the ball into the box towards Mary Stuart Kerrigan ’22, who volleyed the ball into the back of the net. Kerrigan’s goal propelled Andover Girls Soccer to a 1-0 win over Phillips Exeter Academy last Saturday at Andover/Exeter.

According to Mack Lucas ’20 and Emily Kelly ’22, both teams struggled to find a rhythm, and it was a back-and-forth game in the first half until Andover was finally able to establish control in the second half.

“It was definitely a choppy game, and we had a hard time controlling the game [at the] start, but [we] really got a good hold on it moving into the second half,” said Lucas.

Kelly added, “Exeter was a very aggressive team but we were able to stay composed. We did have a lot of control in the midfield which was really good and we used the sidelines to our advantage.”

Andover’s defense allowed very few shots on net, according to Kerrigan.

“We played with a lot of composure and a lot of energy. We did a really good job getting forward—we created a lot of chances and our defense was shutting them down the whole game. We didn’t give them a lot of chances to score,” said Kerrigan.

Lucas said, “Our back line was very tight and organized, and our forwards really utilized space well…and we had some awesome opportunities on net.”

Leading up to the game, Andover focused mainly on maintaining a high energy and intensity.

“[We had an] absolutely amazing team energy; we were fired up all week and had a solid mix of fun and focused practices,” said Lucas.

Chang, named Player of the Game, excelled on both sides of the ball and made several key plays that led to Andover’s victory.

Kerrigan said, “She played such a good game, nobody could get by her. She distributed the ball well and got forward and played really strong and solid defense.”

Heading into the playoffs on Wednesday, Andover, seeded seventh, faced second seed BB&N in the quarterfinals of the Class A Nepsac Championship and lost 5-0, ending the team’s season. Despite shutting BB&N out in the second half, Andover was unable to come back after allowing five goals in the first half. Andover finished the year with a final regular season record of 12-2-3.

Editor’s Note: Rachel Chang is a News Editor for The Phillipian.