DANVERS — It was an action-packed girls lacrosse game Tuesday evening when Swampscott arrived to take on Essex Tech in enemy territory.
Both teams traded goals, but unfortunately for the Big Blue, a late goal from the Hawks did the trick in their 11-10 victory.
“We were hot and cold today,” Swampscott coach Al Eaton said. “We had some really great flashes and the game was all about possession. If we had the ball, I was confident we would score. If they had the ball, they were scoring. It was a back-and-forth game.”
The Big Blue were down 8-5 in the second half, but rallied back behind captains Abby Eichler and Coco Clopton to tie things up. Clopton made it 9-9 with an impressive goal from close range (8:49 remaining).
“There’s a reason why they’re both captains. I trust both of them implicitly to make decisions on the fly and on the field,” Eaton said. “Their work ethic is off the hook. Both of them are a big deal.”
Things went from good to bad for the Big Blue, however, with Eichler picking up her second yellow card with 4:11 remaining, meaning Swampscott had to finish the game down a player.
Ten seconds later, Tech found the back of the net to make it 10-9, but Eaton remained unconcerned.
“To be honest, playing a man down, I wasn’t really worried about it,” Eaton said. “I have full faith in my defense to get the job done. We did well on the ride and got a bunch of turnovers off that. Even a man down, I knew we could still work our offense.”
Eaton’s confidence was proven – that’s because Sophia Ciciotti took things coast-to-coast for the tying goal with 2:49 remaining (10-10).
But in the end, Essex Tech had a chance in the final minute and capitalized, making things 11-10, the eventual final score. The Hawks won the ensuing faceoff and ran the clock away.
“The game came down to a possession and the last draw with about 30 seconds left. I think, if we win that, we would have had a really good shot at sending the game to overtime,” Eaton said.
After the game, Eaton was full of praise for Essex Tech’s gameplan heading in.
“It was a different look than we were used to. Their offensive and defensive sets were stuff we haven’t seen before and it was hard for us to wrap our minds around that,” Eaton said. “Kudos to them, they came really prepared. They’re well-coached and have good skills.”
The praise never stopped – this time, for his team’s fight and determination.
“That’s one of their hallmarks. They don’t quit. They always fight to always try and dig it out. This isn’t a team that will lay down for anybody,” Eaton said.
The Big Blue will look to get back on track Thursday when they visit Beverly at 4 p.m.
