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North Andover advances to North final

Leading by just a goal midway through the second half, North Andover needed some insurance. And Evan Dudney was up to the task.

The high-scoring senior booted in a picture-perfect goal from 30 yards out, and the No. 2 Scarlet Knights rolled from there on the way to a 3-0 victory over No. 3 Wilmington yesterday in the Division 1 North semifinals.

The victory earned North Andover a berth in the Division 1 North final tomorrow at 5:30 p.m. against Concord-Carlisle at Manning Field in Lynn.

Alex Tustin, who has battled injuries throughout the season, put North Andover ahead in the first half with his third goal of the season.

It stayed 1-0 until Dudney notched his key tally aproximitally 20 minutes into the second.

"That was maybe the best goal have seen all year,"  said Knights coach Bill Tarbox. "It was just a bomb from 30 yards out. That was really the back-breaker. A 1-0 lead is nothing. Making it 2-0 was a big deal."

Dennis Graef, who assisted on the Dudney goal, then finished off the scoring with a goal. Also holding tough for the Knights were Andrew Valdez, Derek Zahuriko and David Rose.

It is the Knights' first trip to the North finals since 2000, the second of back-to-back seasons, and the fourth trip in soon-to-retire coach Tarbox's 22 years as head coach.

"This is obviously a real thrill," said Tarbox. "We controlled the pace of play for most of the day, and now we have to finish strong. This is very exciting."