WINTHROP— Big Blue picked up their fifth win of the season Monday morning at Miller Field thanks to a pair of goals from senior Laine Foutes and a superb defensive effort led by senior goaltender Lillian Gosselin.
Foutes got the scoring started early for Swampscott in the first few minutes of the game. The ball found her around the 30-yard line where she dribbled in a bit before recognizing Winthrop wasn’t contesting her. Seeing the open lane to shoot, Foutes took a chance on net and it ended up paying off.
“I just got some open space in the middle of the field and took the shot,” Foutes said. “It was just a really nice way to get things going.”
After that goal, Swampscott continued to pressure Winthrop and the momentum favored Big Blue for the rest of the half. They dominated ball control and even when Winthrop was able to gain possesion, the defense was able to win the ball back quickly and develop even more scoring chances.
Later in the half, a Winthrop penalty gave Foutes a free kick from the right side of the field at around the 20-yard line. She crossed the ball into the box where it was deflected and fell to senior Mia Schena who took a shot, but it trickled just wide of the net. Winthrop was able to survive the rest of the half only allowing one goal – taking the opportunity at halftime to reset.
Like the first, Foutes scored her second goal early in the second half at the 33:04 mark, this time with Viking defenders closing in. After receiving a pass from freshman Sam Ward, Foutes was able to outrun Winthrop’s defense and dribble into the box and send a shot past the goalie who was slightly out of position.
“I got a great pass from Sam, she passed it straight to me, I turned, and then took it with my left into the bottom corner of the net,” said Foutes.
Despite going down two just minutes into the second half, Winthrop was able to respond quickly. Just three minutes later, Winthrop scored off of a corner kick. The ball fell perfectly into the penalty box where a Winthrop defender was able to touch the ball first and flicked it at the net where Gosselin was initially able to deflect it with her fingertips, but it was cleaned up by Winthrop to make it a 2-1 game. The Vikings continued their offensive attack for most of the second half after the goal, and did so by creating scoring chances off of corner kicks and having a much more sound passing game than in the first half.
“They stepped their game up after we scored our second goal,” said Head Coach Ken Leeder. “We didn’t play as hard as we should have in that 10 minute period, and they got one. It was deserved.”
Leeder called a timeout shortly after Winthrop’s goal as the team was struggling to advance the ball. The timeout proved beneficial and even though Winthrop continued to have a number of scoring opportunities late, Big Blue was able to hold off the late attack. During an injury timeout with just a few minutes remaining, Gosselin was seen being very vocal with her team in the huddle, just as she was all game long. Even when the team was on offense, Gosselin was communicating with her teammates on what she was seeing and where they should be on the field, to which Foutes commented on her goalie’s ability to command the field.
“She’s great, since freshman year she’s led us,” Foutes said. “She has eyes on the whole field which no other player has, so it’s super helpful to be hearing from her. The way she commands the defense is amazing, but still can see what the offense is doing to get us all working together.”
Swampscott now holds a record of 5-2-3 and, as the postseason looms, the win gets Big Blue that much closer to punching a ticket into the playoffs. They look to secure that spot this Wednesday against Gloucester on senior night.
Ryan Vermette can be reached at [email protected]
