The senior girls North League field hockey playoffs kicked off on Tuesday, beginning the march for those District 43 squads with an eye on a provincial AAA berth.

In one qualifier battle, the third-place Dr. Charles Best Blue Devils got a pair of goals from Nicole Cornwall to slip past sixth-seeded Centennial and advance to the semifinals on Thursday.

Also scoring for Best was captain Allegra Whistler.

In the other qualifier, the fourth-place Port Moody Blues took on fifth-seeded Riverside Rapids and needed a last-second marker to eke out a 2-1 victory.

The Blues' Rayna Buglioni cashed in her second of the day on a game-ending penalty corner to advance to the semifinal.

The Rapids had opened the scoring on Rachel Di Francesco's breakaway, created by Priya Puri's nimble pass. Also turning in strong efforts in a losing cause were Riverside's Heather Poussard, Talia Tyergyak and Sarah Wall.

In the semifinals, Port Moody met regular season champion Gleneagle, while Best played second-place Heritage Woods on Thursday (past The NOW's deadline).

The semifinal winners will meet Tuesday, Oct. 23 in the North league final.

The top four teams advance to the Fraser Valley tournament, which runs Oct. 29 and 30 in Surrey.

District 43 is hosting this year's B.C. AAA championships next month at Coquitlam Town Centre Park.