Soccer: Second-half comeback sends Peabody girls to North final for first time

To say that Winchester has been a thorn in the side of the Peabody girls soccer team recently would be kind.For the last three seasons, the Sachems had knocked the Tanners out of the Division 1 North tournament. And on Thursday at Woburn High, Winchester looked like it might make it four in a row.The Sachems grabbed a 1-0 halftime lead over the third seed. But the NEC North champs were unbeaten for a reason this season.Staging a dramatic second-half comeback, the Tanners (18-0-2) got a penalty-kick goal from Angela Ellison and then two goals from freshman sensation Hayley Dowd to knock off the Sachems, 3-2, and earn the program’s first trip to the Division 1 North finals.It will be a pair of unbeatens contesting the North final on Saturday (1) at Manning Field. No. 1 seed Acton-Boxboro breezed to the finals with a 4-0 win over Westford Academy in the other semifinal.BOYS SOCCERWeston 5, Fenwick 0At Reading High, the Crusaders (14-5-4) ran into a buzz saw in the No. 2-seeded Wildcats. The power from the Dual County League took a 2-0 lead into halftime and never looked back.”They were a very good team,” Fenwick coach Andrew Bub said. “They capitalized on their opportunities and were very disciplined.”