SWAMPSCOTT — Last season, Swampscott’s boys lacrosse team managed just eight wins. That said, a new spring calls for new opportunities.
With Thursday’s 18-2 win over Danvers at Blocksidge Field, the Big Blue upped their record to 8-1.
The hosts received nine goals from their freshmen duo of John Von Barta (6 goals) and Chase Russo (3). Although the freshmen had the spotlight shining bright, head coach Geoff Beckett enjoyed how the goals were products of his upperclassmen.
“We try to spread the ball around and make sure it’s not all about one kid,” Beckett said. “They’re all assisted by my juniors and seniors. They obviously want to score and get the stats, but they love to see the young guys score. If we’re getting a lot of goals, it’s because we’re getting great assists, too. It’s about playing a team game. Some of the goals we scored today came right from the face-off or from a save from our goalie.”
The Big Blue led 3-1 after the first quarter before exploding in the second. Swampscott scored eight goals in the frame for an 11-1 halftime cushion.
As for why Danvers scored just one goal in the first half, look no further than goalie Tim Sheehan, who recorded 11 saves in total and came up with multiple point-blank stops in the second quarter.
“He’s been working hard. He’s bought in,” Beckett said of his shot-stopper.
In a flash, Barta completed his hat trick with 7:20 to spare in the first half.
“He had a great game. He’s one of those kids who shoots a lot and likes to shoot a lot. Sometimes, he needs to be a little smarter with his shots,” Beckett said. “Today, though, he was definitely patient with his shots and waited for his spots.”
The second half saw more of the same as the Falcons failed to get through Swampscott’s defense, and the Big Blue made Danvers pay when it turned the ball over.
“The guys are doing a great job of picking it up,” Beckett said. “It’s been a couple of years, but they’re starting to pick up on it.”
After winning a close game against Essex Tech on Tuesday, one that got nervy toward the end, Beckett was proud of his guys for not allowing Danvers to climb back.
“We’ve had a tough time putting four quarters together over the last week or so. We’ve had a couple of injuries and one of our captains may be out for the season, which makes freshmen step up,” Beckett said. “On Tuesday, we had trouble putting four quarters together and ended up letting them (Hawks) back in the game. The emphasis today was to keep the pressure on and not allow them to get a hold on.”
Beckett believes the difference between this year’s team and last year’s team is the players gaining another year of experience, as well as returning key starters.
“Some of our juniors have been starting for three years and some of our freshmen played JV for us last year, so they stepped up right away,” Beckett said. “Everyone is taking a leadership way and they’re buying in for each other – which is great.”
The Big Blue look to continue their winning ways on Monday when they travel to Winthrop for a 4:30 p.m. game.
