Football:
Despite missing several key starters, Choate dominated an Andover team that looked overmatched from the first play, beating them 50-8. Choate took an early lead with two long touchdown passes from quarterback Jack Maley ’19, and never gave it up. The game looked close in the second quarter after an Andover touchdown and two-point conversion that put them only six points behind Choate.
The Wild Boars’ offense had a quick answer with Maley hitting tight end Spencer Witter ’19 for a 43-yard touchdown pass to give Choate a 21-8 lead with 7:51 left in the first half. Regarding the team’s first half success, Sean Dennehy ’19 said, “We were a lot more disciplined than we have been in our prior games. Penalties have really killed our offense in the past.”
A pick-six for co-captain Clay Zachery ’19 put the Wild Boars up by 20 points. Another touchdown pass for Maley gave Choate a commanding 34-8 lead at the end of the first half. Choate didn’t look back in the second half, putting up 16 more points and surrendering none. Zachery said, “I think the game was a good challenge for us. We had a lot of guys injured and a lot of young guys stepped up and made plays.”
Boys’ Soccer:
Enjoying another excellent season, Boys’ Varsity Soccer continued its trend of strong play, defeating Andover 4-0. The team got off to a quick start with co-captain Aaron Lake scoring the first goal of the game. Although Choate controlled the ball for the majority of the first half, the teams appeared to be pretty evenly matched. Both teams had scoring opportunities, but neither team was able to put one into the net.
With time winding down in the first half, the Choate team finally got their second goal of the game. A great cross into the box off of a corner kick allowed utilityman Kevin Lynch ’19 to knock it past the Andover keeper. Choate took a 2-0 lead into halftime.
In the second half, great play from new goalie Max Patel ’19 and backs Allen Zheng ’21, Faisal Nazer ’19, and co-captain Will Eichhorn ’19 kept Andover off of the scoreboard. Choate put two more into the Andover net with a great shot by Tife Agunloye ’21, and a great penalty kick by Javi Alvarado Martinez ’20.
Co-captain Brendan Kish ’19 said, “The game was our best of the season. We had been working on making runs and creating scoring chances in practice, and we executed it really well in game today.” The boys hope to continue their success with tough games against Taft and Loomis still to come.
Girls’ Soccer:
In perhaps what was the most evenly matched game of Andover Day, Girls’ Varsity Soccer tied in a game where neither side could finish. Both teams generated plenty of chances, and the game went back and forth. Choate retained possession for the majority of the game, and they used it to create scoring opportunities.
Goalie Jordan Small ’19 said, “The offense controlled the ball in the other team’s half for a large portion of the game. I think we played a really solid game, but we were just unlucky at key times.”
Erin Martin ’20 created a number of chances early on in the game, taking shot after shot. The Andover goalie made a number of outstanding saves on shots by Martin, Abbi Adler ’20, and captain Nicola Sommers ’19. However, the teams went to halftime tied at zero.
After the half, Andover came out with a fire and had a number of excellent scoring opportunities, but great play by Jenna Rempel ’20 and CiCi Curran ’20, and several clutch saves by Small. The game went down to the wire as the teams traded chance after chance. However, the clock struck zero, and the two teams were still tied.
Adler said, “In our next games it’s imperative for us to capitalize on our opportunities to score and to stay disciplined in every aspect of the game.” The girls look to rebound against Taft on Saturday.
Volleyball:
Girls’ Varsity Volleyball lost a heartbreaker on Andover Day. Game 1 got off to a rocky start as Andover took a lead early. The large crowd rallied behind the girls, providing much needed energy. Co-captain Julia MacKenzie ’19 said, “The game was incredible to be a part of. The energy was so high throughout the entire match. The big crowd definitely helped us in the first game.” Choate came back to tie the game at 19. Unfortunately, the girls would end up losing Game 1 by a score of 22-25.
Game 2 did not have a better result for the Wild Boars, as they lost another close game. The Boars were down but not out. As Game 3 started, many of the fans who had left for dinner returned, and there was a new energy in the gym. Choate jumped out to an early lead in Game 3 and never looked back, winning the game by a score of 25-15. Co-captain Lani Uyeno ’19, returning from a head injury, played excellent in the third game, and was one of the key pieces in forcing a fourth game in the match.
In Game 4, the two teams went back and forth as they traded leads. Excellent play by Morgann Skoda ’22, Grace Bohan ’21, and Ally Chadha ’20 pushed Choate over the top to force a tie-breaking Game 5.
Game 5 didn’t have the start or result that the team was hoping for as Andover jumped out to an 8-0 lead. Choate fought fiercely to come back, but the effort just wasn’t enough as Andover won the final game by a score of 15-8. After the game Chadha said, “This was our first game with Lani back, and we were just getting accustomed to our usual rotation, so I think we did well running our offense.”
Water Polo:
The team suffered a tough loss to Andover, despite an excellent effort from everyone on the team. Co-captain Oliver Chessen ’19 opened the game with two goals in less than three minutes, and he finished with four in the game. Andover responded with four goals leaving Choate down 2-4 at the end of the first quarter.
The second quarter was all Andover as they were able to sneak seven goals past Choate goalie Jackson Haile ’19, who played outstanding in both games. Choate could only manage to put one in. That was as close as the game would be. Andover ran away with the game, winning 19-11 in Andover’s favor.
Co-captains Matt Anastasio ’19 and Tommy Wachtell ’19 provided some additional support, scoring one and two goals respectively. Jack Sun ’21 was a key piece for the Choate team as he scored an additional three goals and played solid defense.
So far the team has had a disappointing season, though half of it remains to be played. The Boars have a chance to rebound.
Photo courtesy of Ross Mortensen
