LYNN — There weren’t many who had the Swampscott girls soccer team penciled into the Division 3 North state tournament final prior to the start of the season.
Under new coach Alvi Ibanez, who was originally hired to direct the Swampscott boys team, and a handful of players who have filled into key vacancies left by last year’s seniors, the Big Blue exceeded expectations this fall.
But Sunday night in the Division 3 North final at Manning Field, Newburyport was too tall a task for the Big Blue. The No. 5 Clippers blanked No. 11 Swampscott, 1-0, to claim the North sectional championship.
“This doesn’t diminish our season by any means,” Ibanez said. “I thought we achieved a little more than I had expected. The biggest mission was to make these kids believe in this year’s team. They were still believing in last year’s team. That mentality changed and we started to play soccer.”
The first half was relatively quiet on both sides. Swampscott’s Haley Bernhardt, a junior forward, came close to giving the Big Blue the first strike of the night when her penalty kick shot dinged off the crossbar in the fifth minute of play. That allowed the Clippers, a Cape Ann League powerhouse, to dodge a major bullet as the game remained scoreless.
“That goal would’ve put us ahead and we could’ve taken more chances with substitutions,” Ibanez said. “But it didn’t happen. They scored first and they put the pressure on us but that’s how the ball rolls.”
Senior striker Samantha Kelleher put the Clippers on the board in the 26th minute. Kelleher picked up a cross pass from junior midfielder River Sava and fired a shot past Swampscott junior goalie Nikki Rosa, who finished the game with 15 saves, for the 1-0 lead. The Big Blue denied a handful of corner kicks in the closing minutes of the half to remain within a goal at recess.
Chasing the equalizer, Swampscott needed to ramp up the intensity on the offensive end in the second half, but Newburyport’s defense didn’t back down.
“I took a timeout with about nine minutes to go to make a substitution,” Ibanez said. “I put (sophomore defender) Emerson Laundry in the game because she can cause chaos for their defensive line. We started to get a couple of chances and the move worked a little bit, I just wish we would’ve done it earlier.”
Swampscott’s best chance at the equalizer came in the 34th minute, when junior defender Kayla Kornitsky sent a free kick shot in the direction of Clippers keeper Jennifer Stuart. The senior goalie made the key save, essentially ending the Big Blue’s season.
“I think we lost to a very good team,” Ibanez said. “I think we lost to a team that’s very well coached and very disciplined. They’re very committed to their positions and style of play.”
The Big Blue finish the season at 12-8-3.
“It was my first season here at Swampscott and and I really enjoyed the ride,” Ibanez said. “I was out of high school sports for four or five years and every year I’d find myself in the stands watching tournament games. I’m really glad I came back because I really enjoyed this season. It was a great ride.”
