RallyNorth.net

Sophomore surge keys Knights

Saturday, September, 22 By Bob Albright
Staff writer

While Masconomet (2-0 CAL, 2-1) and Newburyport (3-0 CAL, 4-0) loom as prohibitive favorites in the CAL, you cannot discount North Andover.

The Knights gave the Chieftains all they could handle Monday in a 1-0 loss that saw the game's lone goal go in off a North Andover deflection.

"We played well, but I thought they had the better of it," said McCarthy, who likes his young 3-1 club. "I think we have some good scoring up top and our passing was very good in our first three games."

Defensively, North Andover has gotten strong play out of returning CAL All-Star defender Rebecca Baker as well as junior Bri Connolly, who has stepped up on defense filling in for injured CAL All-Star Lauren Bova.

Along with his veterans, McCarthy loves what he has seen from a trio of new sophomores. Cassandra "Dee Dee" Fagan (2 goals) and midfielders Katie Maroney (1 goal) and Jackie Sullivan all appear to be ready for prime time and give the Knights plenty of speed in the midfield.