BYFIELD ― The Swampscott field hockey team kept its magical season alive Saturday afternoon, as the No. 5 Big Blue took down No. 4 Triton by a score of 2-1 in a Division 3 quarterfinal game on the road.
“The girls came out excited and they knew what they needed to do to pull out the win,” said Swampscott coach Courtney Russo. “We got off to a good start and established ourselves early, and I think that was important for us.”
Sydney Marshall and Brooke Waters each scored one goal in the win for Swampscott, while Isabella Modica notched two assists. Goalie Chloe Rakauskas had a solid game in net with five saves.
For the Big Blue, one of the keys to the game was familiarity. This was the third time Swampscott and Triton had matched up this season, with the teams splitting the previous two meetings.
“It was a big help because we had seen their corners before and we had played on their turf before, so we had some familiarity with what we needed to do,” said Russo. “We knew they were good at moving the ball and we’d have to use our speed to our advantage.”
The good start was key for the Big Blue, as Waters broke through with about three minutes to go in the first quarter and put Swampscott up 1-0.
But Maddie Hillick tied things up for Triton early in the second, and the two teams went into the halftime break deadlocked at 1-1.
In the second half, Swampscott fended off a furious charge by Triton in the third quarter. The Big Blue then turned things the other way, and Modica found Marshall for the go-ahead goal with about five minutes to play in the frame.
Swampscott (13-5-3) moves on to the Division 3 semifinal round, where the Big Blue will go up against No. 1 Sandwich Wednesday night (7) at a neutral site at Norwell High School. The winner earns a spot in the state championship game.
“It’s a field and a team we’ve never seen before, so our plan is to go in with the mindset we’ve had,” said Russo. “We’re just going to control what we can control, play hard and try to come out with another win Wednesday.”
