BLUE LIGHTNING SOARS TO 5-0, TOPS TOPSFIELD 4-0!

Swampscott Blue Lightning, the girls' youth soccer travel team, continues to demonstrate the winning form needed to advance to the season-ending Pingree tournament by shutting out a strong Topsfield team by a score of 4-0 on Saturday, May 12.

Now 5-0, Blue Lightning faces similarly undefeated Andover next Saturday in a game which could determine whether Swampscott will compete for the Essex County Youth Soccer Association championship title.

Sarah Hingston scored twice for Swampscott, once on a perfectly executed corner kick by Meghan Hartmann, who scored yet another goal in her remarkable offensive season on a penalty kick when forward Alayna O'Keefe was tackled in the box by a Topsfield defender. Sara Martin capped off the scoring for Blue Lightning when she sent a rocket past the Topsfield goalkeeper.

Seventh graders Kendall Rhodes and Annie Norton played perhaps their finest game for Swampscott this season, demonstrating a high level of intensity and aggressiveness which seemded to inspire the rest of the team to preserve the shutout.

Midfielders Ali Sloan, Emma Wright, Rebecca Cerra, and Olivia Cooke consistently turned back the Topsfield attack, igniting the Swampscott offense, however, it was the strong defensive play of Jessica Gambale, Anna Hunt and Megan Marocco which sealed the Blue Lightning victory.

Coaches Eve Gambale, Suzanne Wright and Anthony Cerra have their team peaking at just the right time so as to earn their spot in the season-ending Pingree tournament!