SWAMPSCOTT— Coaches use all sorts of different mechanisms for motivating their teams and getting the best out of them.
Swampscott girls soccer coach Norman James brings a trash bag to every state tournament game, a tradition he started during last year’s run to the Division 3 state semifinal.
“We have a joke on the team,” James said. “I brought a trash bag to a game and told the girls ‘you guys can pack the uniforms in the trash bag or we can keep playing.’ After every win, the girls keep saying ‘Coach, no trash bag.’ The girls like to step up and they like to shut me up about the trash bag.”
And the No. 13 Big Blue have done so with two state tournament wins this postseason en route to Tuesday’s (5) Division 3 North semifinal against No. 1 Stoneham at Manning Field.
“This team is all about each other,” James said. “They trust each other, they support each other and they believe in each other. That’s the best thing for a coach.”
The bright lights and high-pressure moments of postseason play don’t intimidate the Big Blue. In seven tournament games since last postseason, Swampscott’s 6-1. This year, they outscored No. 4 Latin Academy (4-0, first round) and No. 5 Northeast (5-0, quarterfinal) 9-0.
“I think the players believe in me and I tell them that I believe in them,” James, in his second season at Swampscott, said. “Without them, there’s no us. They just go out there and play their hardest. When we lose, it’s about growing pains and we learn from that. It’s a special group of girls.”
With six different goal scorers over those two wins (Mackenzie Kearney, Emme Laundry, Anna Nazarenko, Grace Hudson, Thea Spellios and Laine Foutes), the Big Blue are spreading the wealth.
“It’s not quite where we want it to be but it’s getting there,” James said of his attack. “We put a lot of pressure on our attack. We rely on our two seniors, Emme Laundry and Mackenzie Kearney, to share the ball.”
Defensively, the Big Blue are right where they aim to be.
“We’ve been working on not giving up corners,” James said. “We’ve only allowed two corners in those two games. We’ve worked on defending corners. Our defense has become a little more comfortable working with one another. I honestly think that playing teams like Beverly, Danvers and Central Catholic taught us a lot and humbled us a lot. We learned how to handle certain situations and play a little faster.”
Goalie Lilian Gosselin, a freshman, gained comfort in net as the regular season progressed. Gosselin has recorded seven saves in her two postseason shutouts.
“She has learned a lot,” James said. “I’ve seen her now being a lot more vocal, deep into the season and into the playoffs. She’s taking charge. She’s talking a lot, communicating with the backs. That’s what we want from her.”
Swampscott, the last Northeastern Conference team standing in girls soccer, defeated Stoneham 1-0 in last year’s semifinal round. James expects a similar battle this time around.
“Collectively we do our jobs and hopefully we come out of there with a win,” James said. “They still have to worry about how dangerous we are on the flank. It’s going to be a chess match.
“Stoneham’s fast, physical and they have good players. Both teams had the ball sometimes (during last year’s game). Other times, one team had the momentum. We had six seniors last year and we should’ve won the game before overtime. We missed a PK. We don’t want that to happen again. The girls just have to trust the process.”
