Andover's Jayden Wilson (37) and Elk River's Isabella Dols (25) go head-to-head in Andover's 5-4 victory over visiting Northwest Suburban Conference rival Elk River on Wednesday night. Photo by Shannon Brault, Sports Engine
Andover entered Wednesday’s game after two blowouts to start its season. The Huskies won their first game against Blaine by 11 goals and followed that up with an 11-goal loss against Maple Grove.
It can be hard to learn much about your team in such lopsided games, so Andover coach Brad Geiss was happy to see a close game on Wednesday — especially given the result. Despite three unanswered goals from Elk River/Zimmerman near the end of the second half, Andover was able to hang on for a tight, hard-fought 5-4 Northwest Suburban Conference win.
“As we are trying to figure out what we are this year, what we always come back to is we’re going to play good, solid defense,” Geiss said. “We’re going to work hard as a team together, we’re going to get really good goalie play, and that’s what tonight was. We’re well set to play games like that, and I was happy to see the outcome.”
Photo Gallery: Elk River/Zimmerman vs. Andover
Geiss’ point about good goalie play was especially true, as senior goalie Eva Bock finished with eight saves to help lift the Huskies to the one-goal victory.
“I told her that’s the best game she’s ever played for us,” Geiss said.
On top of her saves, Geiss mentioned how impressive Bock was at being aggressive outside of the net, picking up loose balls and staying poised any time she was pressured.
A big reason Bock was able to be brilliant was the work put in by the defenders in front of her, whom Geiss was quick to praise.
“The defense, I can’t speak highly enough about them getting on kids’ hands effectively,” he said. “We gave Eva the look of the ball, which is the biggest thing. If she can see it, she can stop it, and that’s what we did.”
Bock wasn’t the only goalie to step up in this game, as Addison Brandt made multiple key saves for the Elks. Brandt made four saves, including stopping three eight-meter shots to give the Elks a chance at a late comeback.
The Elks’ comeback was sparked by Adria Kotzian, who picked up a goal and an assist in a span of 32 seconds to make it a two-goal deficit for the Elks with 10:32 left.
After Lillian Osterman scored with 4:53 left to bring the deficit to one, the pressure was all on Andover. The Elks continued their charge after that goal, and it looked like an equalizer was coming. However, Merrill Delich stopped up in a big way for the Huskies.
Having already scored two goals in the game, Delich picked up a loose ball after a turnover for Elk River (1-1, 1-1) and sprinted up the field, killing off a chunk of time. After an Andover timeout with roughly 90 seconds left, Delich restarted the game and helped the Huskies (2-1, 2-1) keep possession the rest of the way to close out the victory.
“We practice that 90-second drill in practice virtually every day, and it kind of ends up accidentally in Merrill’s hands a lot,” Geiss said. “That’s the benefit of having really good athletes who are smart, they make those kinds of plays.”
Merrill Delich (25) scored two goals to lead Andover to a narrow victory Wednesday night. Photos by Shannon Brault, SportsEngine
First report
Andover barely escaped with a 5-4 win against Northwest Suburban Conference foe Elk River/Zimmerman on Wednesday night.
The game took a while to get going, as each team got one shot on goal in the opening 10 minutes. Elizabeth Schrubbe gave the Andover offense a spark when she opened the scoring with 14:40 left in the first half.
That goal was followed by two more unanswered goals by the Huskies as Merrill Delich and Isabel Mika added goals to put Andover up 3-0 with 7:27 left in the first.
Elk River took a timeout after the Huskies’ third goal, and it had an immediate impact. Just 32 seconds after the game restarted, Allison Gfroerer got the Elks on the board.
The second half started with big saves from both goalkeepers. Eva Bock made one of her eight saves from point-blank range after the Elks started the second half with possession. A few minutes later, Addison Brandt stopped an eight-meter shot to keep the Elks in the game. Brandt finished with four saves, three of which stopped eight-meters.
Merrill Delich responded to Brandt’s big save with her second goal of the game, and Eden Lenzmeier scored just over two minutes later to seemingly put the Huskies (2-1, 2-1) out of sight.
Adria Kotzian had other ideas. She scored once and then assisted on a goal put away by Isabella Dols in a span of 32 seconds to make it 5-3 with 10:32 to go.
Lillian Osterman added another goal for the Elks (1-1, 1-1) with 4:53 to go, but Bock and the Andover defense were able to hang on for the win.
The Elks’ Adria Kotzian (1) had a goal and an assist in a late-game rally against the Huskies. Elk River, however, fell short in a 5-4 defeat. Photos by Shannon Brault, SportsEngine
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