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Keefe, Andover punch ticket to state final

Tuesday, November, 16 By Chuck Frye
Staff writer

NORTH ANDOVER — When opportunity knocks, be prepared to answer.

Despite seeing scant action in last night’s Division 1 state semifinal against Walpole, Andover sophomore Meagan Keefe was ready when called upon.

Subbing in midway through the second overtime period, Keefe tipped senior Laura Dimitruk’s shot past goalie Katie Kelley to give the Golden Warriors a 2-1 victory and a first-ever trip to the state finals.

Remaining unbeaten at 23-0, Andover will face Central champ Algonquin (16-2-4) Saturday at 10 a.m. at Worcester State College.

“I was excited to get in there,” said Keefe, who scored nine goals during the regular season. “It was a corner. I tried to do everything to block the goalie and screen her and I tipped it in.”

Subs were the driving force behind the winning tally. After Laura Cahill and Anne Farnham took the brunt of the Warriors’ prior 16 penalty corners, Kate Farnham started the game-winning play.

“We decided to adjust because we were subbing, rotating girls through to get some fresh legs out there,” Dimitruk explained. “Kate pushed it out from the corner (around to senior Jill Manning and then to me), and I kind of pushed it through and hoped for the best. That’s all you can do.”

With Walpole shackled by rule to just two corner defenders in the second OT to four Warrior attackers, Keefe had space to close to the net and garner the game-winner.

“That was the (substitution) of her life,” Andover head coach Maureen Noone said. “A little sophomore who had gone in earlier in the game just to give someone a breather ended up in the middle of the play.”

Andover started strong despite having to wait an additional 45 minutes for the game to begin. Walpole was tied up in the aftermath of two multi-car accidents that affected Interstate 495 North and arrived late, but the Warriors shook off the delay, scoring just five minutes into action. Anne Farnham’s shot rebounded to an open Jaclyn Torres at the right side of the net, and the sophomore tucked the ball into the near corner for her team-best 22nd goal of the season.

“I stand at the top of the stroke mark,” Torres said. “Sometimes the goalie kicks it out and I’m just there to tip it in.”

Walpole tied it up nine minutes later when Hannah Feeley’s seeing-eye shot got through a crowd and into the net.

Staunch defense on both sides dried up the scoring opportunities until the 7-on-7 overtime period. Kate Farnham drilled a laser from 6 yards out that Kelley (15 saves) kicked aside while Andover goalie Dina Hagigeorges (three saves) sprinted out 15 yards and sprawled to block a breakaway attempt by high-scoring Caroline Malone.

Kelley was bombarded in the second OT before yielding the winning tally. She turned aside three Torres tries in the opening two minutes, the third a stellar right-foot save off a well-placed wrist shot.

“We were a little tired,” Torres said after the marathon effort. “But the adrenaline, the excitement to win, the urge to win got us going.”

As for the initial trip to the state title tilt, Noone said, “It hasn’t sunken in yet. It’s all been a blur the last three weeks.”