SWAMPSCOTT — On a day that was dedicated to celebrating the senior class, Swampscott’s girls lacrosse team made sure they were going home with a win, defeating Saugus 19-4.
Senior Brooke Waters made her presence felt right from the start of the game as she scored the opening goal just 32 seconds in.
A few minutes later, it was Waters again who received a nice pass from Sophia Ciciotti and fired a low shot past the Sachems goalie to give the Big Blue an early 2-0 lead.
The three Swampscott seniors (Waters, Abby Eichler, and Lilly Johnson) scored six of Swampscott’s 14 first-half goals.
The 14th came from a combination play of the seniors. Eichler received the ball in Swampscott’s defensive half and traveled the length of the field before finding Johnson, who quickly passed it to a cutting Waters. She ended the move with a slick finish to give Swampscott a 14-2 lead at half.
“It was good to see them all involved in a goal,” Swampscott coach Al Eaton said. “They all were very involved in today’s game and I believe it being senior day it also brought more out of them.”
The second half was more about the Big Blue’s control of the game.
“Our plan was to try and control the tempo and play our game. It felt like we did that,” Eaton said. “We tried to improve our transition and I think we made some progress there as well.”
After the final whistle, when asked about what this senior group means to him, Eaton reflected on all the memories he’s shared with them.
“I’ve known these girls for a very long time. I’ve coached some of them when they were in the youth program, so I’m very connected with them,” Eaton said. “They have been playing for a very long time and they’re a big part of the program. They’re the leaders and everyone looks up to them.”
Eaton mentioned he’s going to miss the leadership that the seniors brought this season since they maintained a “good environment.”
“The dynamic of a team changes every time a class leaves and another class comes up. They have done a really nice job of keeping the team together and having positive chemistry. That starts with this class,” Eaton said. “They have created a good environment because seniors set the tone.”
Eaton was pleased with the result but said the team needs to set their focus on Thursday, when they face a strong Masco team.
“I hope we can clean up some things before we have to play Masco on Thursday,” Eaton said. “They’re one of the top teams in the conference and are very good.”
When asked if this is a good time to play Masco, Eaton said the game will be good preparation for the postseason.
“You want to play tough teams at the end of the season to get ready for the tournament,” Eaton said. “We have Masco on Thursday, and games like that will help us prepare for the postseason.”
The Big Blue host Masco at 4:30 p.m. while the Sachems host Gloucester on Wednesday at 6 p.m.
GOALS (Swampscott)
Eichler (4)
Waters (4)
Coco Clopton (4)
Avery Laundry (3)
Ciciotti (2)
Madeline Goldman (1)
Johnson (1)
GOALS (Saugus)
Nina Penachio (1)
Violet Hawley (1)
Cassidy Cheney (1)
Shalyn Sewell (1)
