Girls’ Soccer Draws 1-1 with Andover
On Saturday morning, the girls’ varsity soccer team hosted Andover in its final game of the season. Following a heated matchup, the two teams tied, with a final score of 1-1. Despite a tough season, the team (nicknamed “Soxie”) ended the season with a strong performance and completes the season with a record of 2-12-2.
On the previous Wednesday, the team traveled to play against the New Hampton School. Led by a goal from lower Abby Smith, Big Red defeated New Hampton 1-0. As a result of this win, the team was fired up and inspired going into E/a weekend. Upper Juliana Merullo explained that Andover has a strong team and is “better than us on paper” but the win proved to the team that it had the “talent and ability to beat Andover.”
Senior and co-captain Anna Reaman explained that the team prepared for the unique conditions of the game on Saturday. “We were expecting cold weather on Saturday so we really pushed ourselves to practice on Friday when it was also freezing,” she said.
Merullo also explained that the team prepared itself to play on the turf field of Phelps Stadium rather than the grass fields it has played on all season. “We also [practiced] on the turf field, instead of our regular grass field in order to get used to how the ball moves,” she explained.
Reaman also pointed out the team’s other preparations. “We made sure to get to bed early, stay warm, visualized our game plan and had a team breakfast to pump each other up.”
As the opening act of the E/a day schedule, Soxie started the day off with a bang. The team’s intensity and excitement were evident as soon as the game started. Within the first ten minutes of the game, Smith maneuvered around multiple defenders before scoring the first goal of the game. Exeter held that 1-0 advantage throughout the first half and part of the second half. However, Andover’s offense was able to tie the game up near the end of the game. Big Red stormed back in the final minutes with multiple offensive endeavors, however it was unable to regain the lead, ending the game in a 1-1 draw.
Despite not securing the win they were looking for, members of the team still expressed their satisfaction in how the game played out. Smith praised the team for the energy its brought to the game. “Everybody was playing with aggression and speed,” she said. “Our communication was also better.” Merullo agreed with Smith and also highlighted the defense and midfield players’ performances. “Our defense did a great job on closing down on any possible one-on-one runners, and our midfield was awesome at intercepting passes,” she explained.
Members of Soxie also emphasized how the environment of the E/a game affected their game play. Merullo expressed her appreciation for the spirit and support from the home crowd. “From the first minutes, I loved the atmosphere, with the Red Bandits pumping up the crowd. It was so great right after Abby scored when our section of fans went wild, and they started chanting.” Smith also explained that the energy of the game was far greater than its other games of the season. “There was more adrenaline, so everybody played with more intensity,” she said.
After concluding the season, Soxie reflected upon its final game and the overall season. Merullo discussed the potential of the team next season. “Even though we all wanted to win, for us to tie against a good team like Andover really just shows the talent we have and the promise we have for next season,” she said. Reaman also addressed her confidence in the team to improve in the future. “We might not have finished with a great record, but day in and day out we put in a lot of work and shared a lot of great laughs,” she said. “I’m excited to see how the team will improve in the coming years.”