Swampscott field hockey survives last-second scare

SWAMPSCOTT – The No. 4 Swampscott field hockey team advanced to the quarterfinals of the 2013 MIAA North Division 2 state tournament after defeating No. 13 Wayland 1-0 on Wednesday afternoon at Blocksidge Field.Nursing a one-goal lead with time dwindling, the Big Blue lucked out as a Warriors goal was waved off with just 23 seconds remaining. The referees determined that the Wayland inserter?s pass never left the circle after a corner hit from the left side of the goal.?It was a little too exciting of a finish on our side,” said Swampscott coach Toby Channen. “The refs made the correct call and our defense did a good job of clearing the ball out of danger after the whistle to end it.”The Big Blue back end was the story of the game as the defense, along with goalkeeper Katie Papele, gave Wayland fits. Papele made 15 saves for Swampscott, while her support team did a fantastic job of clearing any potential chances.?Our defense and Katie were absolutely huge today,” explained Channen. “We started off very tentative and ended the game the same way but Katie was phenomenal and made a number of big saves when they applied the pressure late.”She continued, “Katie is a rookie goalie and she held her composure in a tournament game extremely well. I am enormously proud of her hard work this season and effort today. She deserves a standing ovation.”Perhaps the best example of the Big Blue?s defense came with 7:00 remaining and Wayland pressing. From a scramble in front, Papele made a save before Angela Videtta cleared the rebound, which was destined for the back of the wide-open net.Papele came up with her most impressive saves when they were needed most, turning aside three point-blank shots in the final 10 minutes. The best of the bunch came with 1:30 to play as she got a piece of a shot with the outside of her left pad.Swampscott dominated the majority of the first half, but wasn?t rewarded for its work until late. With 7:20 remaining, Victoria Himaras hammered a long shot on net from the right side that deflected off keeper Maddie Kieffer to Annie Kane, who banged it home.?That was a textbook play and one we have been working on,” said Channen of the game?s lone tally. “Victoria?s send-in was perfect and Annie was waiting right where she had to be in order to get to the rebound. It gave us a huge boost after dominating most of the half.”Swampscott advances to play No. 5 Tewksbury, which defeated No. 12 Gloucester, also on Wednesday. The Big Blue face Tewksbury Friday at Swampscott (2:30). Swampscott?s close encounter provided it with a perfect example of why no team, regardless of its seeding, can be overlooked in the state tournament. “I think having the home-field advantage helped us today because we are used to the grass field (and) play well on it,” said Channen. “Wayland played a great game. They were much better than their seed or record (6-8) showed.”