SWAMPSCOTT — The Marblehead girls soccer team came out on fire Tuesday afternoon, scoring two goals in the first half and holding on for a 2-1 win over Northeastern Conference rival Swampscott at Blocksidge Field. The win marks the Magicians’ sixth win in the past seven games.
“After starting the season at 1-6, the turnaround these girls have made has been incredible,” said Marblehead coach John Dormer. “We’re really playing as a team out there both on offense and on defense, and we’re getting a complete effort from everyone. We jumped out fast in this one and were able to ride our defense to a win.”
Part of Marblehead’s success Tuesday came from solid passing, which team captain Carter Murray says has been a focus for some time now.
“Passing has really been something we’ve worked on all year, and it’s great to see it all finally coming together,” said Murray. “We scored both of our goals (Tuesday) on crosses, so it shows that our hard work is paying off.”
Cait Mullins and Lily Gerson each scored one goal for Marblehead, while Anna Rigby had two assists.
For Swampscott, the lone goal came from Grace Hudson on an assist from Laine Fouts.
“We didn’t come out with enough fire, and it’s never easy going up against a team you’ve beaten before,” said Swampscott coach Norman James. “Give credit to Marblehead, they came out strong and earned that win. We didn’t play well enough to win.”
The two teams battled back and forth through much of the first half, with each squad getting a number of scoring chances in the early minutes. The defense held strong initially, but eventually Marblehead was able to break through.
With just under 11 minutes to go, Rigby took the ball up the right side and sent a cross pass into the middle. Waiting there was Mullins, who got the ball on her foot and quickly sent it toward the net for a goal to make it 1-0 Magicians.
Less than three minutes later, Rigby assisted on another goal when she sent a successful cross pass to Gerson for a tally. When the dust settled at the end of the half, Marblehead led 2-0.
“We didn’t play too well in the opening minutes,” James said. “We came out better in the second half, but falling behind by two goals that early puts you in a bad position.”
Swampscott did come out stronger in the second half, pushing the pace and earning more opportunities around the Marblehead net. The Big Blue finally broke through with just under 18 minutes to go in the game when Fouts found Hudson for a goal to cut the deficit in half. But despite the increased momentum, Swampscott couldn’t get many more chances on the Marblehead defense. The Magicians were able to play a bit of keep-away for the final few minutes before taking home the win.
Next up for Swampscott (9-4) is a road matchup with Amesbury next Monday (6).
“It’s not going to be an easy week of practice ahead, because we’ve got to play with some more discipline,” said James. “We’ve got a few days to work on some things before the next game, so we’re going to work hard.”
Marblehead (7-7) hosts Danvers Monday night (7).
“The girls are excited, so we’re just trying to ride the wave,” said Dormer. “Things are starting to come together, so we’ve just got to keep up this level of play.”