SWAMPSCOTT BLUE LIGHTNING ENDS 2012 SPRING SEASON AT PINGREE

Blue Lightning, the Swampscott U-14 girls’ youth soccer team which went undefeated in the highly competitive Division I of the Essex County Youth Soccer
Association this past season, lost to Marblehead, 3-1, in the semifinal round
of the playoff tournament held at the Pingree School on Saturday, June 16.
Though clearly disappointed at the end of the game, these girls should feel
quite proud of what they accomplished throughout the season, many of whom
should help the Big Blue to win many more games into the future.  

Perhaps looking past Marblehead to a season-ending contest against perennial
powerhouse, Andover, Swampscott started slow and never managed to gain the
momentum needed to overcome its speedy, talented opponent. Even after
Marblehead scored its first goal of the game, Swampscott appeared unable to
shift into high gear, succumbing to a relentless offensive attack for much of
the game.

When a rocket by the high-scoring Meghan Hartmann crashed the cross bar withoutfinding the net in the first half and another shot by forward-turned-midfielder Megan Marocco was deflected by a Marblehead defender inches before crossing the goal line, the Blue Lightning players seemed to grow more and more dejected, especially when Hartmann went down with an injury late in the game. 

Midfielder Ali Sloan was moved to forward by Coach Eve Gambale, replacing the injured Hartmann, and quickly responded with a blast past the Marblehead goalkeeper. When Hartmann returned to the field a few minutes later, players and parents alike dared to renew their hope for a dramatic comeback.

But the Marblehead defense, anchored by goalkeeper Lauren Unterborn, withstood this last test, despite the valiant efforts of the dynamic offensive duo of Hartmann and Sarah Hingston, fellow forwards Alayna O’Keefe, and Sara Martin, the corps of hard-working, hard-playing midfielders which included Sloan, Marocco, Emma Wright, Kendall Rhode, the vaunted Blue Lightning defense led by Anna Hunt, Jessica Gambale, and Rebecca Cerra, and supported on the wings by Emily Guo and Annie Norton, anchored by the fearless Swampscott goalkeeper, Olivia Cooke. 

Coaches Gambale, Suzanne Wright and Anthony Cerra deserve much of the credit for this year’s Blue Lightning success, as well as  the other parents, who have supported their daughters throughout the season. Most of all, the girls themselves have grown not only to become more accomplished soccer players and close teammates, they have grown to become friends – friendships which are likely to continue into high school, college, and beyond. And after all, isn’t that
what Swampscott youth sports should be all about?!