BURLINGTON — For a fourth straight year, the Andover field hockey team is back in the Div. 1 state final.

Chloe Broderick and Ella Sewall each scored  for the fourth-seeded Golden Warriors in a Div. 1 state semifinal at Burlington High School on Wednesday night, pairing with a late stand from the defense to stave off a strong rally bid from No. 9 Wellesley in a 2-1 win.

It’s the first time well-decorated Andover will appear in four straight state finals, and gives it a chance to avenge last year’s loss in it to Walpole after beating it in the two prior title games.

It’s also Bridget Morris’ second chance to win her first state title as head coach since taking over for retired coach Maureen Noone last year, and the fourth appearance for some seniors that were in the program since freshman year.

“My biggest concern when I took over … was that there would be a lull, or not even a lull, that it would nose dive and stay down,” Morris said. “I’m just happy that what she built is sustaining.”

“It’s just great,” added senior defender Scarlet Glass. “Over the past few years, all the seniors before us have taught us so much. I think we’ve worked our way up from the bottom so far, and it’s been a long season but we’ve worked very hard to get where we are now.”

The strength of the defense was a major source of uncertainty for Morris in the preseason, with little-to-no returning experience. Glass, its backbone, was a forward last year.

It was that group, though, made up of Glass, Shannon Paul and Molly Ulrich, that proved the most clutch against a tenacious fight from the Raiders.

Sewall’s goal in the opening minute of the third quarter gave Andover a 2-0 lead, but Wellesley closed out the third quarter with momentum after Kayla Bohlin’s reverse chip cut the deficit in half.

The majority of the fourth quarter was then spent on Andover’s side of the field, but that former rag-tag defensive unit didn’t allow a shot on goalie Lucy Baker in the frame.

“We really had to work hard with our defense, and they are really the ones that have been holding down the fort the last couple games,” Morris said. “(They) just had a sense of stability.”

“A big thing we were focusing on in this particular game was staying low because we knew they had a lot of fast girls who could move the ball very well,” Glass added. “Staying low, getting it out, and … with our positive attitude, we were able to succeed.”