NORTH ANDOVER – Newton North had enough of the Isa Robinson show.
Five first-half goals will do that to a team.
So when things got a little dicey in the second half – with North Andover clinging to a 6-5 lead and the Tigers swarming Robinson – Knights’ sophomore Niki Daley had just the answers the Walsh Stadium home crowd was looking for.
Daley closed out the third quarter with back-to-back goals and big sister Meghan added two of her own in the fourth, lifting the Knights to the 10-6 Division 1 Round of 16 win.
“They were sending doubles on Isa, sending doubles on Meghan (Daley), and that’s when we need our next person up. Niki stepped in and did a great job,” said Knights coach Jenn Pino, whose club heads to Chelmsford Friday afternoon (3:30 p.m.) in the D-1 state quarterfinals.
“It feels great, but I think we have a lot left in the tank. I think these girls want more than just making it to the final eight. We want more, we really want to take it all the way, and I think we have the team for that.”
Twelfth-seeded Newton North was mighty game all night long, battling back and forcing the Knights to show off their grit.
Cait Scully was right there in the trenches, scooping up a team-high six ground balls. The elder Daley controlled five draws.
“It was just toughness. We battled. Ground balls, the defense made a ton of stops, the goalie (Taylor Farrell) made a ton of saves at the right times. And then just finishing when we needed to finish,” said Pino.
And now it’s on to the rubber match with the Lions, as the teams split the regular-season meetings.
“I think the first game (10-6 NA win), we were out for revenge for the previous year,” said Pino. “In the second game (8-7 Chelmsford win), we came out flat, dug ourselves a hole, and we fought really, really hard to get back into that game.
“It’s going to be a battle no matter what. We know the task at hand, and we’re going to take it to them.”