Andover earns revenge, first win over North Andover since 2017
May 18—ANDOVER — For more than a month, the Andover girls lacrosse team was stuck with the memory of its last-minute loss to archrival North Andover High.
"That loss was so hard for this team," said Golden Warriors head coach Ally Stager. "But, honestly, we are a completely different team now. Our girls knew that."
That "different" team delivered in a big way on Tuesday.
Leading by one goal at halftime, Andover limited North Andover to just a single goal in the second half, surging to an 11-4 victory over the Scarlet Knights on senior night at Eugene V. Lovely Field.
"It is so amazing to get this win," said senior captain Liv Beucler. "We wanted this game so much after that last loss. We all rallied together after every turnover, and even if we didn't get to every loose ball, we hustled back and defended. It was a great win."
The victory was the first for the Golden Warriors (8-6) over the Scarlet Knights (7-6) since 2017, a losing streak of six games. North Andover won the earlier matchup this season, 11-10 on April 12.
"This was fantastic," said captain Tess Gobiel. "We've been coming out pretty strong recently. Every shot we had was off a great pass, it was a great team win. Last game, we thought we played well, and we were all so frustrated that we loss. Today we picked up the communication, we started hustling and we were working together a lot more."
Added captain Lily Farnham, "We've worked for this game all season. We knew it was going to be a tough game, and getting the win was great. We all wanted this win so much, and we worked so hard to get there."
Tied 2-2 midway through the first game, Andover seemed to take command. Haley Carver scored off a stellar pass from Rose MacLean, then Hailey Doherty broke from behind the net to score and give Andover a 4-2 advantage.
But emerging North Andover star sophomore Janie Papell (3 goals) scored late in the quarter to make it 4-3 at halftime.
After the break, though, Andover truly began to flex its collective muscle.
Molly Agostino opened the scoring with a goal off a pass in front, and Carver scored in transition to make it 6-3. North Andover scored once, but that would be it for the Scarlet Knights.
"It was all communication on defense," said Farnham. "We were bodying them up and giving it our all on every play."
Andover held North Andover to just two shots on goal and no goals the rest of the way, rarely allowing extended pressure in the Golden Warrior zone.
"Our motto as a team is that, if you mess up, you have seven seconds to get back on defense," said Beucler. "On every play, we were back in seven seconds. And our defense is such a tight-knit group, that we are always ready to communicate."
Andover then put the game out of reach with a flurry of offense. Jacklyn Brussard attacked the net for a goal, Doherty added a second off a nice pass, MacLean outran her defender to score, and Gobiel iced it with a pair of scores, the second where she called for the ball, then fired it home.
"It's amazing to win here on senior night," said Gobiel. "I've played her since freshman season, and have seen so many great seniors come and go. I love this team and coaches, and it's great to get this win."
Andover will travel to Billerica on Thursday before finishing its MVC schedule at Methuen on Tuesday. North Andover will host Chelmsford on Friday and Billerica on Tuesday to close out its MVC slate.
"I thought we came out flat, and stayed flat the entire game today," said Scarlet Knights coach Jenn Pino. "The girls put a lot of effort in, but it just wasn't out day. It wasn't our best performance."
Andover 11, North Andover 4
Goals: A — Tess Gobiel 2, Hayley Carver 3, Jacklyn Brussard, Hailey Doherty 2, Molly Agostino 2, Rose MacLean; NA — Janie Papell 3, Emma Scully
Assists: A — Doherty, MacLean 2, Carver, Lily Farnham, Gobiel 2; NA — Caleigh Applegate
Saves: A — Allie Batchelder 4; NA — Sam Mellville 7
North Andover: 3 1 — 4
Andover: 4 7 — 11
