After some time off following the season finale vs St. Michaels, the Trojans were back at it against the Kinkaid Falcons last weekend in a neutral site game out in Dripping Springs. Kinkaid was a worthy opponent with a 12-5 record on the season and wins over teams like Lamar, Greenhill, and St. Johns. They featured a high-flying offense that scored over 16 goals a game, but Anderson was able to completely shut them down en route to a 19-6 beat down.
The Trojans led 14-4 at the half before taking their foot off the gas a bit and cruising to an easy victory over the Falcons. Six girls scored for Anderson, but Harper Jones turned in yet another huge performance with nine goals and eight draw controls. She was the driving force behind a huge offensive performance from the Trojans that led to the victory. Despite her unbelievable game, she believes it was her team that allowed that to happen. “Any of my successes during this game are devoted entirely to my team,” Jones said. “Without the draw possessions, defensive turnovers, and goalies’ saves, the ball would not have ended up in the back of the net. Everything is a team effort, and I could not have done it without them.”
This is yet another example of the team-first attitude that Coach Ross has instilled in her athletes. It leads to better communication, teamwork, and ultimately more success for the Trojans. This has also led to Anderson being a well-balanced team and getting contributions from all over the field. Cincinnati commit Chloe Page had 4 goals of her own, and fellow D1 commits Annie Small and Audrey Thompson had two each as well.
The offense wasn’t the only part of the Trojan squad that was buzzing on Sunday, their defense was at the top of their game as well. Senior defender Alex Kelly, who recently committed to Sewanee, said that the Trojans were able to “perform a lockdown defense that caused turnovers and that was able to effectively transition the ball up the field, [and the team was] able to adjust when having to play a man down”. The Anderson defenders were a huge part of the victory and did a number on the Kinkaid attackers, holding the Falcons to just 6 goals from 3 players. That’s over 10 goals under Kinkaids season average.
The draw was also a huge advantage for the Trojans on Sunday, as they held a decisive 17-8 edge on faceoffs. This gave Anderson the major upper hand in time of possession, which is a massive factor in the outcome of games. Continuing with strong showings on the draw will be hugely important as the playoffs go on.
While this is certainly a big win, the Trojans have not reached their potential quite yet. Anderson is more than capable of another run at the state title, but the road won’t be an easy one. First up is a rematch with St. Michael’s before an all-but-likely matchup against Hockaday, the cream of the crop in the south.
In these tough playoff matchups, the mental aspect of the game will come into play as much as the physical one because, at this point in the season, anyone can beat anyone. It’ll be important to take games one at a time, play to your strengths, and challenge the opponent’s weaknesses. One ground ball could send a team to the promised land, and the other packing, so being focused on every aspect of the game will be huge. Effort, Engagement, and Excellence; The three Es that will bring the state title back to Northwest Hills.
