SWAMPSCOTT — The No. 5 Swampscott Big Blue field hockey team is one win away from the Division 3 State Finals.
The Big Blue entered the Round of 32 after a first-round bye and shut out No. 25 North Middlesex 4-0 to advance to the Round of 16. Sydney Marshall led the way for Swampscott with two goals, while Sawyer Groothius notched one goal and one assist. Swampscott then defeated No. 21 Medfield 4-1 to advance to the quarterfinals.
Courtney Russo’s team punched their ticket to the semifinals with an impressive 2-1 win over No. 4 Triton. Goalie Chloe Rakauskas had a solid game in net with five saves while Sydney Marshall and Brooke Waters scored for Swampscott.
The Big Blue’s opponent in the semifinal will put Swampscott to the test. On Wednesday, the Big Blue will be going up against No. 1 seed Sandwich.
The team is excited to play tomorrow,” the Swampscott head coach said. “We have been focusing on the basics (in practice) and working on our passing and reviewing. We have put in the work and now we are just fine tuning our skills.”
Sandwich has had an easy journey to the semifinals, as it shut out its first three opponents by a combined score of 15-0. Sandwich defeated No. 33 Quabbin and then No. 16 Ashland to advance to the quarterfinals. A 3-0 win over No. 9 Austin Prep saw Sandwich advance to the semifinals.
Defensive ability isn’t something that the team has just found in the playoffs. In the regular season, Sandwich recorded 12 shutouts.
But Swampscott will be the highest-seeded team that the No. 1 seed has faced.
The winner of this matchup will face either No. 2 Watertown or No. 3 Pentucket in the Division 3 state championship game.
No matter the result, Russo is just enjoying the extra time that she has with her team.
“At this point in the season, we are enjoying the extra time we have to play.”
