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Andover stays unbeaten, rallies to victory

READING — Less than five minutes into play, No. 2 Andover field hockey found itself trailing for just the second time this season, and the first time since Sept. 29 against Chelmsford.

 “I saw a couple kids start to play tentative,” said Golden Warriors coach Maureen Noone. “Maybe it was the rain making the ball bounce, but some girls looked nervous. But once we scored, everything started to come together.”

 Andover struck back with a pair of goals three minutes apart by the Farnham sisters, took a two-goal lead into halftime and went on to down fellow undefeated No. 3 Beverly in the Division 1 North semifinals last night.

 The Golden Warriors (21-0) advance to face the winner of tonight’s matchup between top-seeded Acton-Boxboro and No. 4 Lincoln-Sudbury in the Division 1 North finals on Saturday at 1 p.m. at North Andover.

 “We didn’t quit,” said Noone. “We were down, but we made a couple adjustments, shuffled things a little and things started to click again.”

 Beverly took the lead with 15:40 left in the first half. But just four minutes later, Kate Farnham put Andover on the board with a goal off an assist from Laura Dimitruk.

 Three minutes after that, Anne Farnham scored a goal of her own, taking a pass from Jaclyn Torres, who then closed out the scoring in the first half with a tally. Dimitruk chipped in with a goal in the second half to make up the final margin.

 Goalie Dina Hagigeorges made the lead stand up, making nine saves. Her previous season-high was seven against Tewksbury, and never had to make more than three in any other game.

 “We were joking on the bus that was more than she handled all year combined,” said Noone. “She made a huge save late, then started banging her helmet with her stuck like she was cheering herself on. She was confident, and deserved to be there, and that helps everyone around her. Laura Cahill and Bridget Morris also played very well.”