RallyNorth.net

Central Catholic gave powerhouse Winchester all it could handle, and it took a pair of overtimes for the Raiders to be beaten.

"It was amazing," said Central coach Anne Marinaro. "It does not get any better than Winchester, and we had them on the ropes."

Rachel Bourque picked the right time to heat up offensively. She scored twice to lead No. 7 Central Catholic to a 2-0 victory over No. 10 Lowell in the first round of the Division 1 North tournament. 

In a battle of the Merrimack Valley Conference large school and small school girls soccer champions, Central Catholic and Haverhill battled to a 1-1 tie. But Haverhill coach Fred Tarbox was far from disappointed.

After missing four weeks of action due to shin splints, Rachel Bourque's fine crossing pass to Alex Riddle in the second half yielded the game's lone goal as Central Catholic edged Andover, 1-0. Ironically, Bourque's last game before her injury was against the Golden Warriors, who were led yesterday by shackling defense from Natalie Gibson and Jenn Caro.

Scoring three minutes into the game and rolling from there, Central Catholic qualified for state tournament play with its 8-0 triumph over Tewksbury. Freshman Alexa Poulin of Tewksbury had a pair of goals in the win for the Raiders.

Freshman Darion Summers hasn't received many varsity minutes this season but she got in against Bishop Fenwick and scored twice to help Central Catholic win 3-2.

Freshman Alexa Poulin grabbed the rebound of a Kristen Wilson shot 20 minutes into the second half and popped the ball home to give Central Catholic's soccer team a 2-1 victory over Dracut.

Goalie Lauren Hoole made an amazing save on a penalty shot and freshman Alexa Poulin ably filled the shoes of an injured captain as Central Catholic edged Chelmsford, 2-0.

A textbook game at both ends of the field could only end up tied as Central Catholic and Andover finished in a well-played 1-1 draw. Nicolette Pelrine scored 15 seconds into the contest for the Raiders (4-1-2) while an aggressive offensive flurry by the Golden Warriors (1-2-3) later in the opening half resulted in an own goal and a tie score.

Central Catholic goalie Lauren Hoole recorded five saves to help her team to a scoreless tie against Newton South. "They (Newton South) are a solid team," Central Catholic coach Anne Marinaro said. "It was a good game."