Boys’ Soccer Slips in Second Half

After a tie at last fall’s Exeter/Andover games (E/a), Big Red boys’ soccer faced the blue squad in a highly anticipated match this Saturday. Although the team hoped to defeat Andover and earn its ticket to the New England Championships, Exeter lost to its rival by 3-2, ending the season with a score of 9-3-6.

When the game began, Exeter got off to a slow start, trying to keep the excitement of E/a from disrupting the poise and control that had won them so many games.

“I think that we got really rattled and let our emotions get to us a lot, since there was a lot on the line,” upper Max Gross said. In the first half, Big Red’s offense stagnated. They were not moving the ball well and failed to create quality scoring opportunities. Though they were unable to score, the defense kept tight on Andover, keeping them scoreless through the first half.

Unfortunately, during the first half, upper Collin Shapiro suffered a high ankle sprain and was forced to sit out through the remainder of the game. The loss of one of its best outside backs robbed the team of much of its defensive presence, but its offense began to regain its form and the team remained confident going into halftime, the score standing at 0-0.

In the second half, Exeter began to take over. Smart passes helped the team to retain possession and aggressively attack Andover’s goal. Exeter drew a penalty kick, and senior Devin Moore scored on the PK to give Exeter the first goal of the game and a 1-0 lead. Not long after, postgraduate Chase Redd scored after some good buildup play from defense into the stacking third. At this point Exeter had a 2-0 lead and looked as if it might run away with a decisive win. However, the team lost some of its composure after attaining the lead. It couldn’t convert on its scoring opportunities and a few defensive blunders resulted in two straight goals for Andover to tie up the game, 2-2.

Then nearing the contest’s end starting goalkeeper Max Gross bruised his knee trying to save a potential go ahead goal. Despite his valiant effort, Andover was able to secure and take a 3-2 lead. Senior Brian Moriarty came into the game for Gross and was able to make a number of good saves to keep the game close, but Andover would not reliqunish the lead and won the game 3-2. With this loss, Exeter lost its ticket to the playoffs, making E/a its final game of the season.

Although E/a was a disappoiting end to their season, the athletes know that this one game does not take away form what they managed to accomplish this fall.

“I’m proud of how our team battled in this game just as we did all season long. It was a privilege to play with this group of guys from prep camp through preseason until now. Though the game didn't end the way we would’ve hoped, we should be proud of our season,” senior Matt Asante said.