RallyNorth.net

WAKEFIELD - Central Catholic ran unfazed up and down a muddy Northeast Tech field Sunday afternoon.

Behind a strong defensive performance and seven saves from goalie Justin Dansereau, the Raiders scored a goal in each half to beat Northeast 2-0 in the first round of the Division 2 North soccer playoffs.

Central Catholic boys soccer clinched its second consecutive state tournament berth, beating Methuen 5-0 to improve to 9-4-1. Eric Roderick scored two goals, an assist, and then played goalie for the second half, making two saves in net.

Central Catholic boys soccer's defense came up huge in a 1-0 win over Billerica, with senior defender Lukas Blythe scoring off a corner kick header. Junior defender Jeremy Jacques also made a big impact, coming in off the bench after a starter went down to help shut down the opposing offense.

Justin Dansereau made 12 saves, including four crucial stops in the closing minutes, as Central Catholic dealt Lowell its second loss of the season, 2-1. Kyle Ouellette scored both Raider goals.

Zachary Acciardo kicked off the Central Catholic scoring with his first career goal, and Austin Evans added a pair of goals on penalty kicks to send the Raiders to a 3-1 win over Haverhill.

A second-half goal by Austin Ward was enough to lift North Andover to a 1-0 victory over Central Catholic. Ryan McDonald assisted on the goal, and Sam Naftal made six saves for the Knights.

Central Catholic boys soccer picked up a convincing 4-0 win over Lawrence. Junior Gregg Donahue scored his first varsity goal, and senior defender Justin McGetrick also played a great game.

Central Catholic goalie Justin Dansereau only made two saves, but he had to fully extend to tip a great shot from Haverhill just over the upper right corner of the net in the second half. The Raiders used that save to complete the 2-0 shutout of Haverhill, getting goals from Eric Roderick and Davonn Smith. Defensemen Casey Burton also played well in the backfield for Central.