North Andover midfielder Sophia Worden buried a third-quarter equalizer to earn the Scarlet Knights a 1-1 tie at Central Catholic on Wednesday, Sept. 23.

The draw in Lawrence kept North Andover unbeaten through six games this season. The Knights sit at 3-0-3 per MaxPreps, with wins over Malden Catholic (2-1 on Sept. 10), Haverhill (2-0 on Sept. 14) and Chelmsford (1-0 on Friday, Sept. 18). Their three ties came against Masconomet Regional (1-1 on Sept. 8), Tewksbury Memorial (0-0 on Sept. 16) and now Central Catholic.

Worden, who wears No. 9, found her chance with 9:22 left in the third quarter. Valley Sports Daily reporter Tom Mulherin, covering the game live, described the sequence on X: Worden was waiting at the top of the circle when a Central Catholic miscue sent the ball her way, and she hammered a shot to the back board.

Sera Cronan scored Central Catholic's goal.

The Raiders entered the game at 4-1 after a 7-0 rout of Dracut on Monday, Sept. 21. Central Catholic's lone loss came to Andover, which beat the Raiders 4-2 on Friday, Sept. 18. That result means both area programs have gotten the better of Central Catholic so far this fall. The Raiders also own wins over Tewksbury Memorial (3-0), Westford Academy (3-0) and Haverhill (2-0), outscoring those three opponents 8-0 per MaxPreps.

The result underscores where both squads stand early in the Merrimack Valley Conference race. Central Catholic has been dominant against most opponents but has struggled against the two area schools. North Andover, meanwhile, has yet to lose but has been in tight contests all season. Three of the Knights' six games ended in ties, and their three victories came by a combined margin of 5-1.