SWAMPSCOTT — In the most recent Division III MIAA power rankings, Gloucester’s boys soccer team came in as the No. 2 seed, boasting a 9-1-1 record, while nine-seeded Swampscott held a 7-2 record coming into Wednesday’s evening clash of the top 10.
It’s said that a 2-0 lead is the most dangerous scoreline, and that couldn’t have been more true at Blocksidge Field. Gloucester grabbed a two-goal lead within the first 19 minutes of the game – the first coming just 28 seconds in.
Despite the Big Blue (8-2) falling behind, they never quit and showed incredible determination to come back and win in the final minutes, 3-2.
Being down 2-0 is, well, less than ideal, but the Big Blue never wavered. It was important for Swampscott to cut into the deficit before halftime, and that is exactly what junior Jack Raymond did.
The tricky winger chased down a ball outside the penalty area and stole it from a Gloucester defender. Then, Raymond showed what he can do on the ball, weaving past the center back and slotting the ball home with 11:30 remaining in the half.
“It was huge,” Swampscott coach Adam Bailey said. “Jack worked really hard tonight and he created three or four opportunities, so it was awesome to see him put one away. He’s a great player.”
The score remained 2-1 at the half, and that’s when Bailey told his players to “move forward,” something that has been a message all season.
“I told them, ‘We’ve seen basically the worst here. We gave up two that we shouldn’t have. Move forward, get after it, play together – and with energy,’” Bailey said.
“The focus this year is to move forward and only be concerned with what you can affect,” he said. “If it’s a foul [on] a ref’s call, just move forward and play hard. That’s the focus.”
In the second half, the Big Blue needed to remain disciplined as Gloucester controlled the majority of possession. Mission accomplished.
Swampscott weathered the Fishermen’s storm and, with 12 minutes to go, sophomore right back George Spellios delivered a pinpoint cross to a running Jack Fredrickson, who headed the ball past the keeper to tie the game, 2-2.
“It was awesome. We have been stressing to the guys to be patient with the ball and look for opportunities and that’s exactly what we did,” Bailey said.
“It was a tough game for us because we gave up a couple of goals that we shouldn’t have,” Bailey said. “I give Gloucester all the credit in the world. They’re a solid team. It’s tough to move forward from stuff like that. We got the boys focused at halftime, they did it, and it was nice to see the guys battle back. We had some guys cramping up towards the end.”
Swampscott held all the momentum, and made it count with less five minutes remaining when a free kick landed in the box, resulting in a scramble between the Gloucester goalie, Raymond, and striker Lucas Bereaud for the ball.
Bereaud got his toe to the ball and poked it past the goalie (3-2), leading to an eruption of cheers from the Big Blue faithful.
“It was exciting because with Lucas… his calves were cramping up before that, but he worked through it and came back on,” Bailey said. “Then, it was between him and Jack to poke the ball in.”
Bailey believes the statement victory has already boosted his team’s confidence.
“This win is huge. We have a ton of respect for Gloucester. We know top to bottom, they are one of the better teams in the conference,” Bailey said. “To beat a team like that is huge, confidence-wise. We’ve had a couple of games, recently, where we played some good teams and had good results, but this was a big test tonight.”
The Big Blue’s next game is Saturday when they travel to face Lynn Tech.
