ITEM PHOTO BY: KATIE MORRISON.
Swampscott’s Dan Johnson tries to bring the ball down in front of Danvers’ Spenser Persson.
By Harold Rivera
SWAMPSCOTT — Heading into Tuesday afternoon’s game against Danvers, head coach Eric Robinson and the Swamspscott High School boys soccer team knew what to expect from an undefeated opponent.
“We played them in the opening game of the year and we lost at their place,” Robinson said. “We were hungry to re-play them. We knew they were going to be tough and we knew that if we didn’t bring our best, it could be well and over in 20 minutes if we didn’t play top-notch.”
Unfortunately for the Big Blue (9-3-1), history repeated itself on Tuesday and the end result was the same as the prior meeting between the two skilled teams.
James McPherson scored a pair of goals in the first half and the Falcons (12-0) walked away from Swampscott High with a 2-1 win to remain undefeated.
“I knew it was going to be a tough game,” Danvers coach Pawel Brzykcy said. “We’re definitely lucky to get out of here with a win. It could’ve gone either way, but we got lucky and we got the win.”
Through the the first 15 minutes of the game, both teams exchanged shots on net but neither squad could sink one in.
Swampscott’s Jack Herlihy set Max Carbone up with a nice pass in the 11th minute, but Carbone’s shot sailed too far to the left.
In the 12th minute, Jackson McPherson looked to capitalize on a loose ball for Danvers but Swampscott keeper Kevin Coffey wisely came out of the net to collect the ball.
McPherson broke the 0-0 tie in the 15th minute when he scored on a perfectly aimed shot that found the bottom right corner of net with little room for error.
“He’s (James) just one of those players that’s a game changer,” Brzykcy said. “He can be quiet for about 10 minutes and then he can score from 30 yards out to chip in a goal.”
Herlihy looked to give Swampscott the quick equalizer in the 18th minute as he raced past a group of Falcons defenders but was called offsides before he could get a shot off.
The Big Blue had chances to tie the game in the 19th minute with a pair of corner kicks, but both attempts were cleaned away by the Falcons defense.
Dan Johnson gave Swampscott another opportunity in the 31st minute, but his shot sailed high over the crossbar.
“We did very well on possession,” Robinson said. “That’s a big thing for us.”
The McPherson show continued in the 34th minute, when the junior found the net again to give the Falcons a 2-0 lead. McPherson’s shot hung in the air as Coffey came out of the net, allowing the ball to make its way in for the goal.
This time around, Swampscott had a quick answer. On the ensuing kickoff, Johnson found the net to put the Big Blue on the board, making it a 2-1 game.
“The goal was phenomenal,” Robinson said. “For my guys, that’s a character test. They didn’t quit.”
Swampscott looked to carry momentum into the second half in hopes of finding the equalizer. Johnson looked to tie the game on a header in the 61st but the attempt was denied by Danvers keeper Teddy Vaillancourt.
Johnson threatened again in the 64th minute when he raced up the field and looked to create his own shot, but Alexander Vatousios chased him down and kicked the ball out of play.
Carbone had the final chance to nail the game-tying goal but his shot was saved by Vaillancourt in the 77th minute, and Danvers held on for the 2-1 win. Vaillancourt was outstanding in net, with 10 saves in the contest.
“We knew, and Teddy knew, that today was going to be a big game,” Brzykcy said. “He tends to show up for big games.”
Danvers will look to stay undefeated when the Falcons visit Revere on Thursday. Up next for Swampscott is a road game at Saugus on Friday.