Haverhill senior Casey Anderson scored two goals in her first five games this fall.
Slow start?
Not for many but it was for Anderson who netted 29 goals her junior season.
"It was getting very ridiculous and aggravating," said Anderson who scored twice in the third game against Tewksbury but went scoreless against Central Catholic, Dracut, Billerica and Andover. "But I just had to keep my head focused or I was going to keep continuing not to score at all."
Anderson rediscovered her scoring stride in game No. 6 against Methuen when she recorded a hat trick.
She has been almost unstoppable ever since then.
Anderson scored 16 goals in six consecutive games, starting with the victory against Methuen. More importantly, her team posted a 5-0-1 record during that stretch.
Anderson scored a remarkable five goals against Notre Dame on Oct. 8.
The senior has tallied 23 goals so far as she and her teammates head into the postseason seeded 14th in Division 1 North and will play a first-round game 1 p.m. Sunday at Peabody.
"This year I've been hungry for goals but my team, they give me ridiculous passes and it's not just me but it's them, too," Anderson said.
Teams know about Anderson's nose for the net so she is often double and triple teamed.
"So I've been looking for more passes to Molly Fitzgerald (11 goals) and my midfielders," Anderson said. "It's just been a tough year. ... (Fitzgerald) motivates me because I see her working hard for the ball."
The Hillies defense has played well, allowing 16 goals this fall after surrendering 33 during the 2008 regular season.
Three of the 16 goals against Haverhill came in the final game when starting keeper Meghan Gulbrandsen, a sophomore, did not play because of a head injury.
"I wouldn't want to be shooting against her," Anderson said about Gulbrandsen. "She'll be back. She's getting over it (injury). She's strong. ... She'll definitely be back for the tournament."
Wilbar back after knee injuries
Catholic Central senior Chris Wilbar has had a frustrating high school soccer career.
The forward sat out his sophomore season with a strained MCL and again missed most of his junior season after re-injuring the knee during the first scrimmage. He did return with a month left but was unable to play much because he was not at 100 percent.
"It was definitely frustrating," said Wilbar who is ranked No. 2 in his class academically.
Wilbar and No. 15 Central will play a Division 2 North preliminary round game against No. 18 Wayland at home Saturday at 4:30 p.m.
Wilbar has been an important addition this year.
Coach Shawn Chase considers the 5-foot-11 1/2, 160-pound Wilbar (two goals, three assists) as one of his top four players because of both his speed and height.
Wilbar scored more than 20 goals whille playing on the freshman and JV teams his freshman year. So he possibly would have been more of a prolific scorer this year if he had consistently played soccer the past two years.
"This year I've definitely played more of a supportive role for our other forward Josh Voto (16 goals)," he said. "I've been running all over the field, chasing after balls and helping back on defense when I can and winning balls in the air and in the box and just making sure anything in the box is collected so we have a better chance on net. And I've worked a lot this year on my passing so I can distribute the ball a lot better."
Wilbar thinks he did lose some of his scoring touch after missing two years. He did not play club soccer during the offseason because he runs indoor and outdoor track.
Central (7-5-3) returns to the tourney after failing to qualify last year with a 5-7-3 record.
"We've definitely played high-caliber teams that prepared us well for the state tournament," Wilbar said.
Wilbar also is quite the student. He scored 2230 on his SAT, including an 800 on the math section. He is a member of the National Honor Society and has won several academic medals and honors.
Boys State Tourney Contenders
Andover
Record: 7-8-2
Seed: No. 19 in Division 1 North
Notes: Andover stumbles into the playoffs. It started the season 6-3-1 but went 1-5-1 in its final seven games. ... It has had trouble scoring during the past seven games, except for a seven-goal performance against 5-14 Lawrence. ... Randy Sartor has nine goals.
Central Catholic
Record: 7-5-3
Seed: No. 15 in Division 2 North
Notes: Central earned a tourney berth after not qualifying last year. ... Josh Voto has 16 goals and has scored two or more goals in four games. ... When sophomore Tyler Graham scored his first two varsity goals in a victory over Methuen on Oct. 16 he was playing his first game back from a metatarsal injury that sidelined him for about three weeks.
Haverhill
Record: 10-5-1
Seed: No. 16 in Division 1 North
Notes: Haverhill went 9-2 in its final 11 games after starting 1-3-1. ... The offense has struggled at times and somebody besides Jared Lewis must step up. Lewis has scored 13 of his team's 22 goals. ... Senior keeper Mike Ferragamo and the defense allowed only nine goals in the final 11 games. Ferragamo posted three straight shutouts during that stretch and recorded 15 saves combined in those thee games. ... The Hillies posted victories over Central Catholic, Lowell and Andover after losing to Lowell and Central and tying Andover earlier in the fall.
North Andover
Record: 15-1-2
Seed: No. 3 in Division 2 North
Notes: North Andover won the CAL championship. ... Its one loss was 1-0 against Masconomet Regional. The Scarlet Knights beat Masconomet 4-0 later in the year. ... Gareth Dudney (18 goals) was named the CAL MVP. ... Jay Marchand has 16 goals. ... North Andover has outscored it opponents 54-19.
Whittier
Record: 6-9-3
Seed: No. 12 in Division 3 North
Notes: Won the Commonwealth Conference small school title. ... Jacob Bradwell has scored 26 goals after netting four last fall. He recorded five different hat tricks, including three in a row between Sept. 30 and Oct. 6. ... Whittier has been up and down as it has suffered losing streaks of three and four games. Its longest win streak was just two.
Girls State Tourney Contenders
Andover
Record: 6-4-9
Seed: No. 18 in Division 1 North
Notes: Andover has had some trouble scoring. It netted 25 goals in all, was shutout four times, and in seven of its games opponents held the Golden Warriors to just one goal. ... Jodi Pollack leads the team with four goals.
Central Catholic
Record: 11-2-5
Seed: No. 7 in Division 1 North
Notes: Posted second straight double-digit win season (16 wins last year was the highest single-season win total by Central in its 13-year history of the program). ... Goalie Lauren Hoole has recorded nine shutouts. ... Central's defense has given up just 13 goals in 18 games. ... Rachel Bourque is back after missing four weeks with an injury.
Georgetown
Record: 13-4-1
Seed: No. 5 in Division 3 North
Notes: Georgetown lost in the D3N quarterfinals last year. ... Nicoline Holland came on strong eight games into this season when she scored her first goal and then followed that by scoring in each of her team's next five games.
Haverhill
Record: 9-5-4
Seed: No. 14 in Division 1 North
Notes: Haverhill won the MVC small title. ... Casey Anderson leads her team with 23 goals. She caught fire after scoring just two goals in her first five games. ... Keeper Meghan Gulbrandsen has eight shutouts.
Methuen
Record: 10-6-2
Seed: No. 15 in Division 1 North
Notes: Methuen breaks a streak of eight straight years without making the state tournament. .... Goalie Rebecca Caterino, who returned seven games ago after missing the first 11 games with mononucleosis, helped her team go 6-0-1 in its final seven games. ... Coach Peter Kitsos gave tri-captain Rachel Condon an Everton sweatshirt after the defender scored her first ever varsity goal on Oct. 15. ... Karen Lima has scored game winning goals in the last three victories. ... Tri-captain Hayley Dolbeare (knee injury) has been out since Oct. 1
North Andover
Record: 10-4-4
Seed: No. 11 in Division 1 North
Notes: North Andover won five of its final six games. .... Jackie Sullivan scored five goals in the final five games after netting two goals in the first 12 games. ... The defense has shutout its opponents 10 games and Kelly O'Connor was in net for at least eight shutouts. ... DeeDee Fagan (20 goals last year) has been sidelined with a torn ACL and meniscus but has been a strong support for the team by going to every practice and game.
North Reading
Record: 11-4-3
Seed: No. 4 in Division 2 North
Notes: Lauren Hebert, who is in her first year starting on varsity, scored 13 goals in the final 13 regular season games after netting one goal in her first five games. ... Lauren Pawlowski (nine goals) returned strong this year after suffering an ACL injury her junior year. ... North Reading went 10-2-1 in its final 13 games.
Pentucket
Record: 9-5-5
Seed: No. 11 in Division 2 North
Notes: Pentucket returns to the tournament after not qualifying last year when it went 4-10-1 and didn't make the tourney for the second time in 21 years. ... Pentucket's defense has been up and down. It shutout seven opponents this year but allowed 12 goals in the five losses.
