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LOWELL — The defensive game plan was rather one dimensional for Concord-Carlisle last night in the Division 2A playoff matchup with North Andover.

Contain Knights' quarterback Brandon Walsh, who entered the game with 23 touchdown passes without an interception and 661 rushing yards.

LOWELL — North Andover High had a dream start against the Concord-Carlisle Patriots.

A pounding blindside sack by Matt Gallagher produced a fumble recovered by teammate Mike Weisman at the Patriot 46-yard line. Eight fast-paced, no-huddle plays later, standout quarterback Brandon Walsh ran six yards over left tackle into the end zone for a quick Scarlet Knight lead.

ACTON — Junior Mike Moroney had a strong day in net for North Andover stopping 20 shots, but it wasn’t enough. Concord-Carlisle put an early goal past Moroney on a corner kick and that was all it needed as the No. 2 seed beat No. 6 North Andover 1-0 in the semifinals of the Division 2 North tournament. “They are really good at finishing inside the box,” Moroney said about Concord-Carlisle. “They got their foot on it. We tried to clear it but we didn’t clear it out far enough. They got their foot on it and put it in the back of the net.” The lone goal came 5:05 into the game and was scored by Stowe Simonton. Maybe Moroney’s best save came with just under 11 minutes remaining when he caught a ball absolutely smashed at him.  “This was his first year playing varsity soccer,” North Andover coach Bill Tarbox said about Moroney. “He’s a basketball player at heart and soul. I am sure. And his size is just a cool thing. He’s 6-2, 6-3. He’s got a great wingspan. I think he just steps up to the plate.” Moroney missed approximately six games this season with a concussion. “He did a great job (this year),” Tarbox said. “And I am sure that if we had him for the other six games our record would have been a little bit better on the ties and the losses. But hey, those things happen.” Brett Smith added about Moroney: “He fought pretty hard today. We’ve had unlucky breaks on set pieces all year so it was normal for us to give up a goal there. ... And we didn’t really control the ball well but we did our best.” North Andover allowed just the one goal in its three Division 2 North playoffs games. “And two of our defenders are coming back next year,” sophomore forward Evan Dudney said. “We’ve got Zach Karalis and Danny Connelly, and they’re coming back so it (the defense) will be strong again..” Plus, Moroney will be back. Concord-Carlisle outshot North Andover 21-5 (shots on net). “They marked a man on me like the whole time,” Dudney said. “So I didn’t really have much chance to turn or do anything with it. There weren’t many open players on our team to pass to, I guess. They were pretty solid. They knew what they were doing.” Tarbox added: “We showed that we could play a solid game and we did play a solid game. Obviously, defensively we shined.”

ANDOVER — Even after the postgame handshake, Andover’s Anna Vecchi was still working to catch her breath.

“My heart’s still pounding like crazy,” she said with a huge smile. “Every minute we were up, then they were up. It was so nerve-wracking. But I’m just happy we pulled off the win.”

Andover had powerhouse Concord-Carlisle on the ropes but the two-time defending Division 1 state champs extended their lengthy regular season win streak with a 3-2 win. The Patriots' last regular-season loss came in 2004.

Freshman Meagan Keefe's penalty killing proved to be a key factor in Andover's 3-2 win over Concord-Carlisle. Sarah Oteri scored twice and Nicole Giroux added the other tally in Andover's third straight win.

CONCORD —  A year removed from a breakout season, Methuen began its new campaign with only six returning starters, but the Rangers accomplished something their 2008 counterparts couldn't — winning their season opener.

Concord-Carlisle bounced the Central Catholic boys lacrosse team from the state tournament, beating the Raiders 10-6.

The team's seniors, coach Kevin Lally said, deserve credit.

Andover blanked Concord-Carlisle 3-0 in the first round of the Division 1 North tournament. Laura Dimitruk, Sarah Oteri and Heather Sullivan each scored for the Golden Warriors, who host Lexington tomorrow in the quarters tomorrow at 6 p.m.

METHUEN — Down a point with just under two minutes left in the fourth quarter, Methuen’s Sean Cairns got his fingertips on a Dan D’Arcy pass in the end zone on fourth and goal to give the Rangers a chance to pull out their second victory of the young season. But outside of a 15-yard hookup between quarterback Matt Bartlett and receiver Pat Phillion, the Methuen offense was unable to move the ball, falling to Concord-Carlisle 14-13.