SWAMPSCOTT — A driving rain wasn’t enough to slow down the Swampscott boys lacrosse team for even a second on Monday afternoon, as the Big Blue turned on the jets and scored 13 unanswered goals in a 19-4 win over Gloucester at Blocksidge Field.
“I think as time went on, we were able to wear (Gloucester) down in transition and that opened up some space for the guys,” said Swampscott coach Geoff Beckett. “Our guys are really good at seeing that space and knowing when to take it, and we were able to move the ball well and get on a nice roll.”
Three Big Blue players scored five goals in the win, with Jack Russo leading the way with five goals and two assists. Jason Codispoti added five goals and one assist, while Zack Pierce scored five goals. Cole Hamernick scored two goals, Carson Palmer and Aidan Sprague each scored one goal and Harrison Kinne notched three assists.
The game started off as a back-and-forth affair, as Gloucester drew first blood before Codispoti tied things up with just under 10 minutes to play in the first. Pierce then gave the Big Blue a 2-1 lead, but Gloucester was able to knot things at 2-2 heading into the second quarter.
Swampscott started to gain some momentum early in the second when it scored three straight goals — two from Russo and one from Codispoti — but Gloucester answered back to make it a 5-3 game with 6:57 to play in the half.
Then, Swampscott took off.
The Big Blue closed the half with a flurry of four unanswered goals, then they came right out in the second half and scored nine more in a row before Gloucester could finally break the streak with 6:30 to play in the fourth quarter. But by then, it was already 18-3 Big Blue and the game was firmly in hand.
Swampscott (4-6) travels to Manchester-Essex Wednesday night (7).
“I think the big key for us during this stretch is that we’ve played a lot of solid teams and it’s made us better,” said Beckett. “The guys are realizing that if they play the right way, they can compete with anyone out there. We’re just hoping to continue this positive momentum and take it one game at a time.”
