RallyNorth.net

NORTH ANDOVER — This wasn’t how things were supposed to go.

Reading, the 12th seed in Division 1 North, scored just two minutes into its quarterfinal fild hockey matchup with No. 4 North Andover yesterday and dominated possession for much of the first half.

But the pressure-cooker didn’t phase the playoff-tested Scarlet Knights, who submitted a near-perfect second half, leading to a convincing 3-1 victory.

Now 16-2-3, the Knights ascend to the sectional semifinals against neighboring No. 1 Andover at Lovely Field Thursday at 7:30 p.m. Reading’s season ends at 12-3-6.

"We knew we couldn’t allow a defensive corner and we did," North Andover head coach Courtney Breen said of the opening tally by junior Keagan Gallagher. "That first corner was a beautiful goal. No one can take that away from them."

Against the Rockets’ red glare, sturdy defense led by Rosemary Boshar and Sarah Warden combined with a couple of kick saves from Tess McNamara to hold the deficit at one.

Standout forward Candace Waldie took a long right wing feed and started a 3-on-1 break for the Knights with seven minutes left. Although netminder Catie Murphy turned aside both of Waldie’s shots, nothing was stopping the change in momentum.

"As a team, we knew we could do it," Waldie said. "After their goal, we said we needed to step up. We started committing more and everything worked out perfect."

Four minutes later, Courtney Lynch, who "really stepped it up" according to Breen, fed a corner pass into a scrum in front of the net. Waldie somehow tapped the ball out front to senior Krissy Whitley who poked it into the open cage.

With the tide turned, North Andover played what Breen termed "one of the best halves of field hockey I’ve ever seen." Waldie and junior Alexandra Moen drove the attack, keeping Reading on its heels.

Another penalty corner got the Knights the lead six minutes into the second half. Waldie grabbed the ball at the top of the circle and sent in a hard shot to the left. Janelle DiMartino was parked in her customary spot at the post and routed the shot to the opposite corner.

"(The play was) supposed to be from me to Courtney, but before the half we talked and said if we have the shot, shoot it," Waldie explained. "We knew Janelle would be there."

"On a shot, I have to be there," DiMartino said of her perfect positioning. "It was pretty exciting."

Waldie capped the scoring with 5:46 left, poking her stick into a crowd and knocking the ball into the net.