Under damp and blustery conditions, the Middlesex Girls' Varsity Soccer team had a home midweek tilt against the Big Blue of Phillips Academy Andover. After an up and down weekend, the girls were excited to get back to our home field and play with passion. Aided by the wind, Middlesex kept Andover on their heels for the better part of the opening 25 minutes. However, Andover gradually gained some ground, and with five minutes left in the half, they struck for the match's first goal. Not to be denied, Middlesex quickly moved the ball downfield, and some nifty ball movement highlighted by a give-and-go between Maddie MacMaster '18 and Ellery Winkler '19 resulted in a goal by Winkler to level the score just before halftime.
 
Andover came out strong in the second half, and now playing against the wind, Middlesex found most the play in their defensive end as the second half unfolded. Andover played many long balls over our back line, but our defensive group of Hannah O'Gara '20, Emma Murphy '19, Corina Kotidis '18 and Nicolette Roarke '20, were up to the task of tracking the play and relieving any danger. However, the persistence of Andover eventually paid off as they cashed in off a corner kick midway through the half to go ahead, 2-1. As the clock began to wind down, Middlesex pressed forward in hopes of an equalizer, but unfortunately Andover was able to counter-attack in the final minutes to seal the victory.
 
Although we ended up on the short end of the result, goaltender Daisy Boynton '20 played tremendously well, confidently manning the goal and defusing multiple scoring opportunities for the opponent.
 
The Zebras jump into league play as they travel to St. Mark's on Saturday.