MARBLEHEAD — Haley Bernhardt has had her eyes set on the 100 career goals mark for quite some time now, and she wasn’t going to wait much longer to reach that feat. Well, Tuesday turned out to be the day for Bernhardt, as she scored three goals to surpass the mark. Coming into Tuesday afternoon’s game against Northeastern Conference rival Marblehead with 98 career goals, Bernhardt wanted to get it all over with. She’s fought hard to get to this point, both because she’s often the focus of the opposing team’s defense and because she’s dealt with three coaching changes in her tenure with the Big Blue.
“It was really exciting, I’ve worked really hard at this since my freshman year,” Bernhardt said of reaching 100 goals. “Each year has brought something new, and each year has been a little tough to adjust, but my teammates have been a great help and it feels good to finally get this done.”
With 101 career goals to this point, Bernhardt becomes the first player in Swampscott girls soccer history to tally at least 100 goals in her career. And of course, just like a true team leader, the senior forward deferred to her teammates when reflecting on reaching the milestone.
“I’ve had so many great teammates around me since freshman year, they really all helped me get better,” said Bernhardt. “We’ve had some great leaders who showed me the ropes and taught me a lot, and I’m really grateful for that.”
But make no mistake, this is something that Bernhardt has wanted for a long time.
“This has always been a dream to get that banner, and it’s really exciting to have it finally happen,” Bernhardt said. “Especially since it’s the program’s first and I’ve worked really hard, it just feels really good.”
Swampscott first-year head coach Norman James pointed out that Bernhardt’s contributions to the team’s success have been huge, and he knows that she can get even better as the season progresses.
“Her contributions have been immense, she’s a great player and a great leader for us,” said James. “There are some things I would like her to work on so she can be even better, particularly on defense, but she’s been the engine of our offense all year long.”
So now that arguably her biggest individual accomplishment is taken care of, Bernhardt is focusing all of her energy on helping the Big Blue get back to the state tournament and make some noise once they get there. Swampscott’s 5-3 after Tuesday’s win over Marblehead.
“(Tuesday) was definitely a good step in the right direction by breaking the losing streak and playing well out there,” Bernhardt said. “We’ve just got to keep up the intensity that we showed today and prove that we want it more than the team we’re going up against.”