Swampscott girls soccer escapes Marblehead with a win

What goes around comes around.The Marblehead High girls soccer team won Round 1 against Swampscott earlier this season, and the Big Blue returned the favor Monday with a 2-1 win over the Magicians at Marblehead.Swampscott (14-4, 12-4) clinched second place in the Northeastern Conference South and Marblehead finished third. Danvers took the top spot.Laura Whitehill scored in the first five minutes of the game to give Marblehead the lead. It held up until the 24:50 mark, when Swampscott’s Jen Cleary tied the game (Marissa Gambale assist). Gambale netted the game-winner 12 minutes into the second half when Cleary lofted the ball over the defense and Gambale raced in, just beating the goalie and putting the ball in the net.”We get good games all season,” Swampscott coach Fred Day said, referring to the quality of teams in the NEC South. “It’s a good game to have going into the tournament.”Swampscott has lost in its opening game of the tournament the last two years, but Day is hoping this year’s team will stick around a while. Last year, the Big Blue lost in a shootout to Wakefield.”This was a good overall game for us,” he said. “We put good pressure on them most of the game. I think maybe we’re peaking at the right time, knock on wood. The kids are playing strong together.”Marblehead finished the regular season 10-6-3 and 10-4-2 in the NEC South.”We beat them the first time and they paid us back,” Marblehead coach Sam Yawson said.Silvie Cohen (6 saves) was in net for the Magicians. Sweeper Sarah Forward also played well. The Big Blue got a lift from center midfielders Erin Langan and senior captain Skylar Sabbag. Goalie Tara Nimkar had 15 saves.