SENIOR CAPTAIN Kerri-Ann Donovan leaps in front of sophomore keeper Kat Hassapis in an attempt to block this Newburyport scoring attempt. (John Friberg Photo)
By DAN NUNN
Sting Swampscott in North semis
LYNN — The Lady Hornets’ improbable state tournament run continued with 1-0 victory over the Swampscott Big Blue in the Division 3 North semifinals at Manning Field in Lynn on Monday night. Freshman Rachel Hill scored for North Reading.
It was a defensive battle throughout the entire game with limited scoring chances. The back line of senior tri-captain Kerri-Ann Donovan, sophomore Jessica Muise and sophomore Giana Moscaritolo had another superb game thwarting the Swamp attack.
After a scoreless first half the action picked up in the second. After some offensive pressure the Hornets were finally rewarded with a goal in the 56th minute.
Sophomore Marissa Zarella stole the ball near midfield, ran to space and sent a precise pass that Hill was able to run onto. Hill ran into the box and finished past the charging goalie. For the rest of the game North Reading played solid defense and escaped with the huge win.
The victory over Swampscott improved the Hornets’ record to 13-6-2 and enabled them to advance to the Div. 3 North final while the Big Blue ended their season at 15-6-1.
North Reading will take on the rival Lynnfield Pioneers in the North championship game at Manning Field in Lynn Saturday at 2 p.m. The winner of this game will advance to the Div. 3 state semifinals midweek next week with the Div. 3 state championship title game to be played the weekend of Nov. 22-23.
Down No. 1 seed Newburyport in 2OT thriller
Marissa Zarella scored the game-winning goal with just 15 seconds left in double overtime to lift the Hornets over the top seeded Newburyport Clippers in the Division 3 North quarterfinals last week. Sophomore Katerina Hassapis was stout in net with six saves.
Both teams started off strong, moving the ball from side to side, building the attack and looking for the right time to strike. But the defensive effort of the North Reading midfield was superb. Starting in the middle, juniors Katie Welch, Jillian Comeau and Maddie Syer were able to jump into passing lanes to disrupt the offensive attack.
The outside midfield play of juniors Anna Tayas and Jordan Schille, sophomore Haley Nathan and freshman Meredith Griffin tracked their marks and provided support to the transition into final third. The pressure never allowed the Clippers to settle down and set orchestrated strikes on goal.
In the second half Newburyport had a great scoring opportunity. A long ball was crossed in and was headed inside the far post but Schille cleared the ball away from danger. The game would remain scoreless and headed to overtime after 80 minutes.
With time ticking away in the second overtime a play opened up for North Reading. Sophomore Jessica Muise stepped in front of her mark and played a solid ball to senior tri-captain Tori Brown who was able to carry the ball to the corner. Brown then served a dangerous ball into the box to Zarella who calmly opened up and blasted the ball past the charging Newburyport keeper.
