SWAMPSCOTT — No. 26 Swampscott took down No. 39 South Shore Tech, 15-3, Thursday. The Big Blue advanced to the Div. 3 Round of 32, where they’ll meet No. 7 Weston. 

Swampscott led just 5-1 at halftime after Jason Rothwell ripped three goals. A slow second quarter meant coach Geoff Beckett had to make some adjustments. 

“During the second quarter, we kind of got complacent — especially with our shooting. We were hitting the goalie too much and allowed them to get too many transitions off of turnovers,” Beckett said. “We focused on burying our shots and making sure we kept that ball in our stick.” 

Swampscott looked like a new team in the second half, led by junior John von Barta. 

Barta netted four of his six goals during the third quarter, powering the hosts to a 13-2 lead.

“He’s a great athlete. He’s our quarterback in the fall. He can shoot one million miles an hour. He’s got good hands, and he can dodge,” Beckett said. “Not only does he lead physically, but he dodges with his head up and looking for assists, making sure the offense is being run. He’s all over the place.” 

Luke Michigan (15-of-17 face-offs) helped Swampscott retain possession — and momentum.

“Talk about working hard at his craft. He settled into his role last year as a face-off guy. He really bought in as a freshman,” Beckett said. “He’s really good at one thing and he is. I would like to see him on the scoresheet a little more, but when he’s going 15-for-17 on face-offs, we’ll take it.”

Swampscott spread its offense around as Rothwell, Ollie Braham, Will Rowe, and Tyler Ostroff found the back of the net.

Attention turns to No. 7 Weston, which finished its regular season with a 15-1 record. 

“Weston’s a very talented team after watching them a bit on film. They’re a little light on numbers and don’t have a ton of seniors, kind of like us,” Beckett said. “They’re very disciplined and don’t make mistakes. They don’t turn the ball over and they don’t take bad shots. We’ve got to make sure that we up our game. If we can play smart, disciplined, and hard lacrosse, I think these guys can play with anybody. I can’t wait to see what’s going to happen.” 

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Swampscott goalie Colton Alex deflects a shot at the net.

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Swampscott's Tyler Ostroff shoots and scores against South Shore Vo-Tech.

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Swampscott's Luke Michigan races down the field after winning a face-off.

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Swampscott's Jack Duffy works the ball downfield.

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Swampscott's Will Ficken passes the ball to a teammate.

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Swampscott's Emerson Joy works his way around the South Shore Vo-Tech defense.

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Swampscott's Eli Cobbett works the ball up the sidelines.

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Swampscott's Johnny Marino fires at the South Shore Vo-Tech net.

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Swampscott's Will Rowe fires a shot at the South Shore Vo-Tech net.

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Swampscott's Will Rowe covers off a South Shore Vo-Tech player.

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Swampscott's John Von Barta looks for a way around the South Shore Vo-Tech defense.

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Swampscott's Jason Rothwell plants his foot, shoots, and scores against South Shore Vo-Tech.

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Swampscott's Will Ficken winds up for a shot on the South Shore Vo-Tech net.

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Swampscott's Jason Rothwell, right, fistbumps Emerson Joy after scoring the first goal of the game against South Shore Vo-Tech.

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Swampscott's John Von Barta keeps the ball away from the South Shore Vo-Tech defense as the final seconds wind down in the first half.

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