10-player Big Blue Holds Strong Against Bridgton
Over the course of a season, there will always be THAT game - the game that players, coaches, and fans know will stick in our minds long, long after the New England leaves rotate through their bag-of-Skittles colors and fall; the frosts of November mark the final week of practice; the nets are stripped from their goals; and the uniforms are hung up for another winter in the equipment room. This past Wednesday, Andover made it through what will surely be THAT game of the ‘23-’24 season against visiting Bridgton Academy.
Always a strong and fast opponent, from the first whistle, Bridgton began stretching Andover’s shape with balls over the top to a deadly trio of attackers. In the 20th minute, Bridgton’s back line sent a beautifully-weighted ball over the top, forcing Andover’s keeper, Jack Alexander (2025), to rush out and stop the breakaway by throwing his body in front of a volley from Bridton’s ever-dangerous Rizk Nadeem (2024). The ball ricocheted into Alexander’s arm outside of the eighteen, leading to an immediate red card for Andover’s goalie. With a backup keeper on injury reserve, the Big Blue had to get creative, turning to field player Camden Willems (2024), who has had several standout performances as a right winger of late, to step into the net.
With such an early ejection, there were two ways the game could have gone. But, standing strong in the face of being down a player for 70 minutes, the Big Blue trusted themselves, their (brand!) new keeper, their defensive shape, and their offensive chances to rally against the Wolverines.
Andover’s belief was rewarded in the 28th minute when holding midfielder Alex Torrens (2024) found winger Rafiq Kasumov (2025) with a ball through midfield Bridgton’s line - Kasumov deftly turned the ball out to Zane Matraji (2024), who found Kasumov once more with a one-two to slip behind Bridgton’s back four. Credit to Andover’s Kai Myles (2027) for a heads-up play to hold his run next to Matraji to prevent an offsides call, allowing Matraji to surge into Bridgton’s final third and deliver a low cross which an oncoming Spencer Madge (2025), who was fantastic on the day, buried into the top corner.
It’s a lot easier to believe when the goal count goes up, and Andover scored their second just before halftime. Paul Gichana (2025) played his heart out on the wing all day for the Big Blue, pressing with intention and taking defenders on with disciplined flair, and with eight minutes left in the half, he won the Big Blue a pivotal corner after drawing out both Bridgton’s right and center backs to the edge. After Bridgton’s initial clearance of Matraji’s whipped-in cross, Gichana kept the press alive, earning a turnover which Andover recycled through Garret Holman (2024) and Julian Gravereaux (2024), the latter of whom sent Liam Rourke (2024) in over the top for a one-on-one with Bridgton’s keeper. Rourke forced a bobble from the goalie, allowing Rourke to recollect the ball and delicately chip the goalie to (you guessed it!) an on-rushing Gichana, who put away the cross in the six-yard box, earning Andover a 2-0 lead heading into the half.
The game was far from over, however, and Andover relied on the depth of our substitutes to carry the day. Alex Coman (2024) and Holman were relentless as Andover’s left and center backs, respectively, in the first period, but two unfortunate collisions over the course of the second half saw their matches cut short due to injury. Spencer Madge and Peter Elliot (2024) stepped into Andover’s backline as fullbacks, and the four of them - Elliot, Gravereaux, Madge, and Sebastian Mejia-Rivera (2025) held the door well against Bridgton’s attacks. Up front, Kasumov, Ryan Lam (2024), Marc Nelson (2025), and Myles gave everything they had to destabilize Bridgton’s play out of the back and generate threats even with a player down. Louis-Thomas Vincent (2024) put in a judicious shift in the center of the pitch, winning key turnovers and keeping forward balls simple. Andover’s captains Matraji and Torrens heroically dug into their seemingly-endless wells of grit to win the battle of the center of midfield and solidify the spine of the Big Blue for a grueling 90 minutes. Liam Rourke, routinely a forward and winger, even got a run at outside-back, a testament to the full-team effort this game demanded from Andover.
Thanks to the fans for their invigorating support. This one was special. Choate on Saturday.