Sports

Small Moments Make the Difference for Girls Lacrosse in Tight Games

Co-Captain Grace Hammond ’23 is committed to Tufts University for Lacrosse.

Neicia Smith ’25 is new to Andover Girls Lacrosse this season.

Lauren Herlihy ’25 looks for an open player.

Led by crucial saves from goalie Molly Boyle ’25, Andover Girls Lacrosse was able to fend off Deerfield in a close game, winning 11-9 on Wednesday. Prior to the game against Deerfield, Andover defeated Groton 12-11 on Saturday, and lost on Monday to Noble and Greenough (Nobles), 9-11. Andover’s record now stands at 3-2.

Quiana Bell ’26 highlighted Andover’s ability to bounce back after a defeat, coming up with a victory against Groton. Despite falling behind early in the game, the team was able to pick up its energy and come back for the win.

Bell said, “I think that our game went really well. A huge factor of that was actually because of our loss on Wednesday. We all wanted to return from that loss with more energy and worked together to achieve that win. I think we just wanted to prove ourselves as a team and see what we were capable of. The game was slow to start, with not much communication on defense, but as we grew more confident as a team we began to see the changes in energy, ball movement, ground ball pick-ups, and our connectedness as a team.” 

Bell added that communication in the defensive half of the field is something that the team should pay special attention to.

“I think a big thing our team needs to improve on is our communication and trust in each other. Specifically defense, I felt like we were too quiet and apprehensive, sitting back instead of challenging the ball or the attacker. Our communication and volume increased throughout the game, but I think it’s important to reach that intensity level early on,” said Bell. 

In the game against Nobles, Peyton Kennedy ’25 believes that the loss was due to the team’s lack of focus. Given how close the game was, the result ultimately came down to a few small moments, and Andover’s lack of attention to detail led to defeat.

Kennedy said, “We have been playing really close games and we could work on being smarter and recognizing the position we are in. Whether it’s where we are winning by a point or two, and we need to hold the ball, or we’re losing and need to double the ball on defense to get it back.”

Ellie Parker ’25 felt that the win against Deerfield was because of a strong performance from Boyle, who made critical saves down the stretch to give Andover the win.

Parker said, “Molly Boyle played great in net, she stayed very composed and came up with big saves.”

Ultimately, Bell believed the best part of the game was the outstanding flow of energy from the sidelines and support from the team. She felt the constant encouragement from her teammates kept her motivated and determined to play at her best.

“One thing that stood out to me was the overall energy from the sideline. They would celebrate every victory, even a small one. Every single person was so supportive of the team, which added so much to the atmosphere,” said Bell. 

Andover’s next game is away on Saturday against Pingree.