Craving the kind of respect that's usually afforded to the Merrimack Valley Conference and the Middlesex League, the Northeastern Conference sends two unbeaten teams to battle in the MIAA girls soccer tournaments: NEC Large champion Peabody (16-0-2) in Division 1 North and NEC Small champ Danvers (15-0-3) in Division 2 North.

In all, nine area squads are gearing up for MIAA tournaments in Divisions 1, 2 and 3, with the pairings released yesterday and most action getting underway over the weekend. The NEC sends eight of its 12 teams to the dance.

"It's kind of sad in that it's always been a good league but we tend to get the rap of being a little weaker," said longtime Danvers coach Jim Hinchion. "You look at the success of Peabody, what Marblehead, Swampscott and Saugus have done in the tournament, even the turnaround Gloucester had this year; it's a competitive league."

Earning the top seed is not new territory for the Falcons, who were No. 1 last year but were upset by Belmont in the first round.

"I remind the girls about that often," said Hinchion. "The tournament is a whole new season and the seeding is only winning percentage. If you get a middle of the pack team from a fantastic conference, or one that had some injuries early, and it could be very tough."

Coming off the first unbeaten regular season since 2001, Danvers will host league rival Gloucester under the lights at Dr. Deering Stadium tomorrow night. The squads met just last Monday with the Falcons coming away 7-0 winners as Brittany Russo notched her 100th career point.

While 2009 NEC Small MVP Corey Persson, Russo and 2008 NEC MVP Becky Landers highlight an absurdly potent offense, it's the defense led by all-star keeper Ali Tivnan and stopper Kellie Macdonald that is the key to Danvers' success.

"You know, the strikers usually get a lot of attention but we have some great defenders," said Hinchion. "We're really focused on the defensive side and I think they're up to the challenge."

Peabody, on the other hand, just recorded the first unbeaten regular season in school history. They're one of three undefeated teams in Division 1 (Acton-Boxboro and Winchester are the others) and host Haverhill on Sunday.

"It's a great match-up. Haverhill was the Merrimack Small champions and they've got a great striker in Casey Anderson we have to be very concerned with. Their keeper only gave up 12 goals all year and in that league, that is very good," said Tanners coach Dennis Desroches.

That's quite the contrast from a Peabody team that might've averaged 12 goals per game if its starters played 90 minutes. Freshman Hayley Dowd already has the school's single season goals record and junior Emily Manoogian is one of the most dangerous table-setters in the state.

The Tanners start five freshman (Victoria and Kara Digiacomo, Cat Roacha, Cayla Bucci and Dowd) and one of their stronger mids, Tayor Provost, is a sophomore.

"Inexperience is a concern, but most of them have played high level games either in youth or club. They may not feel the pressure an upperclassman might feel," said Desroches. "The key for us is complete team defense, from the forwards to the fullbacks."

Elsewhere in Division 1, Cape Ann League Player of the Year Lucy Gildein and Masconomet are looking for redemption after an early exit last season. The Chieftains went 13-3-2 and drew the No. 5 seed and a date with Medford at home on Sunday. All-league honoree Blair Shrewsbury is a key contributor for Paula Yanakakis' squad, as are Kaitlin Sampson and Gabby Russo.

Swamspcott didn't miss a beat under new coach Francesco Recchia, who took over for long-time coach Fred Day this year. The Big Blue went 10-6-2 and move up to Division 2, where they drew the No. 8 seed and host Bedford tomorrow at 2 p.m. Erin Langan, Jen Cleary, Mallory McDonough and Lisa Gambale are among the players Swampscott needs to step up in order to win its first playoff game since 2005.

Salem, which qualified for the sixth straight year under Jess Doyle, drops to Division 2 and visits Arlington Catholic on Saturday in a first round bout. The Witches went 7-6-5 and drew the No. 15 seed thanks in part to NEC all-stars Jasmine Bryant, Desiree DeLeon, Lauren Schaejbe and Audrey Wyke.

Elsewhere in Division 2, Marblehead is back in the tourney after a 9-7-2 season. The Magicians, led by Mary Keroack and Emma Crowley, are seeded No. 14 and visit Wayland tomorrow. Bishop Fenwick, meanwhile, landed the No. 13 seed after a 7-4-7 campaign. They visit North Reading Sunday for a 1 p.m. battle.

In Division 3, North Shore Tech drew the No. 9 seed after a 10-7-1 campaign. The Bulldogs have been to the state tourney in both of their two seasons as a varsity program, but they're looking for their first ever MIAA tourney win facing Mystic Valley at home on Sunday (1 p.m.).

Ipswich, meanwhile, drew the No. 10 seed and plays Marian at home on Sunday. The Tigers went 8-6-4 in the always tough CAL and sport a very tough defense led by league all-stars Lia Webb and Lizzy Fanning and ace keeper Hannah O'Flynn.

girls TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE

SATURDAY

Division 2 North: Salem at Arlington Catholic (2); Bedford at Swamspcott (2); Gloucester at Danvers (6); Marblehead at Wayland (7)

SUNDAY

Division 1 North: Haverhill at Peabody (1); Medford at Masconomet (1);

Division 2 North: Bishop Fenwick at North Reading (1)

Division 3 North: Mystic Valley at North Shore Tech (1); Marian at Ipswich (1)