We battled Andover to a scoreless tie 0-0, though with some controversy. Late in the game, we earned a penalty shot from a handball by Andover in their box. John Rousou (28) buried the shot, but the ref waved off the goal because one of our players entered the box before the kick. The ref then awarded Andover a goal kick when he should have granted a re-take of the penalty shot. We were certain that the referee was in error, but we deferred to the two refs who insisted it they had it right. We took away several lessons from this game. First, the game was decided by a slew of plays besides the penalty kick as both teams had amply chances to score. Second, referees make mistakes and that’s part of the game. Third, we could have prevented the whole controversy by not infringing in the first place. Fourth, sportsmanship is paramount even when (especially when) you believe the referees are in error. Fifth, and finally, because both teams played so hard and with outstanding sportsmanship, the spirit and respect of this longstanding matchup with Andover prevailed and we shook hands, regardless of the score, with that respect intact. Yes, we put forth a major team effort and we deserved the win — that is enough to motivate us for our next match. With four games to go, we are proud of how we play and we are eager to finish up strong!