SWAMPSCOTT — The No. 13 Swampscott boys lacrosse team (18-1) had to wait over a week to get back on the turf after clinching a first-round bye. There was no rust to be shown, as the Big Blue took care of No. 20 Medway (9-10) 13-4 to advance to the Round of 16 in Division 4.
It was a blistering start for Swampscott as it got out to an early 4-1 lead, which expanded to 7-1 by the end of the first quarter.
“I like that not only were they dialed in on offense, but the sticks were on point. The shots were on point and they knew where to look,” Swampscott head coach Geoff Beckett said.
One player who had it going, specifically in the first half, was sophomore Jason Rothwell. Rothwell scored six goals in the game, three of which came in the first quarter.
Beckett praised his 40+ goalscorer for his work ethic and his ability to get to his spots.
“He’s been the kid that just does the right thing every time. He’s not the best dodger, he’s not the fastest, but he always rides. He knows how to find that little spot on the offense where he can just catch and shoot,” Beckett said. “He’s been working on that shot all season and the first game he had a little bit of trouble, but he’s just improved every single game and as a sophomore, you can’t complain with him having over 40 goals.”
Swampscott controlled the majority of the possession and Beckett enjoyed his teams offense, but towards the end of the half Medway found success turning the game into a “track meet.”
“I like our dodge, but also our dodge to move the ball to keep the thing alive. I guess you need to dodge to score, but have the discipline to pull it out too when it’s not there,” Beckett said. “We kind of lost it in the second quarter and we ended up turning it into a track meet and I was getting a little nervous.”
The Mustangs scored two of the last three goals in the second quarter to trail by five (3-8) at the half.
The second half was more of the same from Swampscott. Second-half goals from Rothwell, Drew McCathern, and Max Field were enough to keep Medway away from striking distance.
When asked about the performance and if he feared the team may come out rusty, Beckett acknowledged the team was a bit rusty, but during the week he tried to keep the team competitive.
“We had about a week off there. We were a little rusty, especially because we got guys that were a bit banged up and everything. But my main focus was to keep the kids competitive,” Beckett said. “We had a beach practice where we just played with tennis balls. We had a speed lax tournament where we made teams and had them play. No contact, just running with the sticks so the kids were ready to go today.”
With the win, the Big Blue will travel to No. 4 Lynnfield, a team they beat 8-7 on April 1. Now Swampscott will have to go into enemy territory to beat Lynnfield.
“We beat them in the first game of the season. They only have a couple of losses this season, but we’re one of them,” Beckett said of the rematch. “I can’t wait.”
