Blue Lightning Comes Roaring Back Against Newburyport.

This article was submitted by Phil Sloan.

Blue Lightning, the Swampscott Youth Soccer Association U-14 girls’ travel soccer team, entered the second half of their Essex County match against perennial powerhouse, Newburyport, locked in a 0-0 defensive battle on Saturday, April 28, played at Swampscott High School.  After falling behind 1-0 late in the second half, the entire Blue Lightning team reached deep within themselves to come roaring back with two goals in less than five minutes left to play to emerge with a hard-fought, 2-1 victory, now sporting a perfect 3-0 record so far this season.

Though failing to score herself for the first time this season, Megan Hartmann’s corner kick set up midfielder, Ali Sloan’s scoring drive above the Newburyport goaltender’s outstretched leap to even the score at 1-1. Just moments later, midfielder Sara Martin  passed the ball perfectly in stride to a streaking Sarah Hingston, who ran past the defense to score the go-ahead goal, which proved to be the game-winner for Swampscott. 

Playing without several of their Blue Lightning teammates, Jessica Gambale and Emma Wright anchored the Swampscott defense, consistently thwarting the Newburyport offense. Alayna O’Keefe and Annie Norton also played integral defensive roles throughout the game.  It was Coach Eve Gambale’s strategic decision to shift prolific scorer, Megan Marocco, from offense to defense in place of Anna Hunt and Emily Guo, who were both unable to play in this game against Newburyport, which proved to make the difference, as Marocco demonstrated her deft ball-handling skills to make several key steals and ignite several Blue Lightning breakaways.

Rebecca Cerra, Olivia Cooke and Kendall Rhodes continue to play consistently well at whichever position they are asked to play, providing the coaching staff with the ability to juggle players throughout the game, so that despite absences due to injuries and other commitments, Swampscott Blue Lightning continues to demonstrate the passion and zeal of a winning team committed to qualifying for the season-ending Essex County Youth Soccer Association championship tournament.