| Team | 1 | 2 | Final |
|---|---|---|---|
| Westford Academy | 10 | 3 | 13 |
| Andover | 15 | 7 | 22 |
Wednesday, June, 08
By David Willis
Staff writer
ANDOVER — The celebration may have been postponed to a day when the season is done, but the Andover girls lacrosse team couldn’t hide the excitement last night.
“It is unreal,” said Ally Fazio. “To think this is the best any Andover (girls lacrosse) team has done is amazing. After losing in the semifinals last year, winning this year is awesome.”
The top-seeded Golden Warriors rolled over No. 13 Westford Academy 22-13 last night in the Division 1 North semifinal.
With the win, Andover advances to the Division 1 North final for the first time in the program’s 11-year history. The Warriors had advanced to the Division 1 North semifinals six of the last seven seasons.
The Golden Warriors also improved to 22-1-0 on the season, the most victories in team history. The previous record was 21-2-0 set in 2007. It was the 19th straight victory for the Blue and Gold.
“We are very proud of what we have done,” said seventh-year Warriors coach John McVeigh. “To finally break through that barrier of the semifinals and to set the win total is great. All year we have felt like this is a special group.
“We’ll celebrate it in a few weeks through, because we still have our greatest test in front of us.”
Andover advances to host No. 2 seed Lincoln-Sudbury in the Division 1 North final on Saturday at Eugene V. Lovely Field. The time has not been announced.
“At the beginning of the season we sat down and said we wanted to make the North final,” said senior quad-captain Sara Miller. “But now we want to win the North final and win it all. Everything has just clicked this season.”
Yesterday started a little rough for the Golden Warriors, with Westford Academy grabbing a 6-3 lead with just over 12 minutes to go in the first.
“Early we weren’t playing our best game,” said Fazio. “We weren’t catching and passing and our transition was struggling.”
But, following a time out, the Golden Warriors took control, outscoring the Grey Ghosts 18-7 the rest of the way, holding the ball in their offensive zone for almost the entire second half.
“McVeigh gave us a pretty good pep talk,” said Jen Caro. “And we refocused.”
Andover’s wide-open offense continued to do the job, with 10 different Golden Warriors scoring at least one goal. Caro (three assists), Fazio and Meghan Keefe each scored a team-high four goals while Miller scored three times and freshman Weezie Gross added a pair of goals.
“Those first 12 minutes were scary,” said McVeigh. “We talked during the time out about focusing. This is a team that knows how to respond. This is a good team, and I trust them.”
The flashiest goal came with 18:22 left in the contest. Caro picked a loose ball and broke down field before firing a pass to Gross, who beat the goalie.
The Golden Warriors will next face No. 2 seed Lincoln-Sudbury (16-2-0), which Andover has not faced this season. Lincoln-Sudbury advanced to the Division 1 North final last season.
“They are an incredible team,” said McVeigh. “Their talent and skills are beyond anything we have seen this year. We will have to defend and be smart with our possessions.”
Goals: A — Meghan Keefe 4, Jen Caro 4, Ally Fazio 4, Sara Miller 3, Weezie Gross 2, Meghan Morris, Anne Farnham, Kate Farnham, Bridget Morris, Jaclyn Torres; WA —Jaclyn Lawlor 4, Bailey Mongillo 3, Molly Klinka 2, Leah Giacalone, Taylor Freud, Katheryn Oliver, Molly Kilday
Assists: A — Caro 3, Keefe, Gross; WA — Lawlor 3, Klinka 2, Mongillo, Giacalone, Jenna Klinka, Erica Mattila
Saves: A — Jill Beucler 3, Katherine Geffken 4;WA — Erin Shaughnessey 15
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