RallyNorth.net

Caroline Barclay felt that North Andover had one more comeback left in its season.

But on this night, it wasn't to be.

"It feels bad now but we went out with a great season," said Barclay after top seed North Andover fell to No. 4 Winchester, 11-9, in last night's Division 2 North semifinal.

NORTH ANDOVER | With 10 minutes remaining and North Andover on the verge of being upset last night, Emily Vento dismissed the notion that her team was about to take an earlier-than-expected summer vacation.

Seventeen saves from Stephanie Taylor and a ton of defense earned North Andover an 11-7 win over Pentucket. Nicole Zahoruiko, Kelly O'Connor, Katie Boringa and Amanda Wescott were virtually impenetrable in front of Taylor to keep the Scarlet Knights unbeaten in Cape Ann League play (9-0, 12-1-1 overall).

Even without being at the game, Andover girls lacrosse coach John McVeigh made his presence felt yesterday afternoon against archrival North Andover.

"He was texting us on the way to the game, telling us what to look for, how he wanted us to play," said Andover tri-captain Kelly Driscoll. "He had us ready."

North Andover took and early lead and held on to beat Georgetown, 14-12. Caroline Barclay and Hannah Lategan had three goals each for the Knights, while Shannon Hartford netted five for Georgetown.

Two days after scoring five goals in the season opener, Briana Connolly tripped over a teammate's foot in practice, rolling her ankle.

"I just laid there for a second, thinking I'd be able to shake it off," said Connolly, one of North Andover's scoring leaders. "When I tried to move my ankle, I started to get very worried that I might be out for a while."

Avery Cullinan and Emily Vartebedian scored two goals each for Newburyport. Chloe Hundertmark and Haley Johnson added one each. Freshman Lily Galzerano had eight saves. Newburyport trailed 13-1 at halftime.

2007 record: 17-4. lost Division 2 North semifinals

Returning starters (11): Katie Boringa, Sr., defense; Morgan Healey, Sr., midfield; Brittany Topham, Sr., attack; Britney Chiles, Sr., defense; Caroline Barclay, Jr., midfield; Briana Connolly, Jr., attack; Kate Kleinendorst, Jr., defense; Jenn Pino, Jr., midfield; Stephanie Taylor, Jr., goalie; Emily Vento, Jr., attack; Amanda Wescott, Jr., defense