Swampscott boys lax ousts Manchester-Essex

SALEM ? A.J. Zarinsky put on a scoring clinic to lead the fourth ranked Swampscott boys lacrosse team to a 12-10 win over Manchester-Essex in MIAA Division 3 East first-round action.Click here for a photo gallery.”Zarinsky is always a threat when he is on the field,” Big Blue coach Josh Field said.Zarinsky led all scoring with five goals and a pair of assists. His favorite move was to rush from the rear of the net, fake high-and-hard and then slip the ball into the bottom of the net.”I wish we could have picked up on that move,” Hornets coach Nate Levie said. “We’ve seen a good amount of him. However, he is that type of player. I think that this is Swampscott’s year to go far.”The Big Blue’s regular season scoring-leader Ben Wollerscheid also had a fine day. He fought through double teams and constant harassment to score a hat trick, while adding two assists.”He (Wollerscheid) probably had the best defenders on him all day,” said Field. “It probably opened up more opportunities for Zarinsky too.”After falling behind 4-3 in the second quarter, the Big Blue exploded for five consecutive goals to close out the half.”It’s all about the possessions,” said Zarinsky. “We probably didn’t even touch the ball until there was five minutes left in the third quarter. That’s why they had their run then.”The Hornets dominated the first seven minutes of the third quarter. They actually tied the game at 8-8 with 4:59 remaining in the quarter. However, that tie wouldn’t last long. Zarinsky scored only 38 seconds later to give the Big Blue a lead it would never lose.Swampscott controlled the ball for much of the fourth quarter, as it drained the clock. However, Matt Nutter really stepped up his game in net when the Big Blue needed it. He made several awe-inspiring saves including one from point blank range with a little over a minute remaining, which would have made it a one-goal game.”He (Nutter) has been doing that all year,” Field said.Manchester-Essex did have a great deal of success winning the face offs in the second half – a statistic that ultimately allowed the Hornets to stay in the game.”Swampscott has great success winning face offs normally,” said Levie. “We dominated there today. But he (Coach Field) still has great players on that team.”Swampscott will face Nantucket on Monday. Fifth-ranked Nantucket defeated Bourne 12-4. There is a possibility that game will be played at Manning Field.