There’s nothing like a good ole rivalry, as the Swampscott and Marblehead boys soccer teams went head-to-head at newly-renovated Piper Field. In the end, the Magicians earned bragging rights, 2-1.
On Sept. 11, 2023, Swampscott beat Marblehead, 3-0, at Blocksidge Field. A full year later, Marblehead returned the favor.
The hosts came out of the gates firing, as they’ve been doing in recent games. Junior Miles Fontela-Tuttle continued his fine form, scoring two goals to give Marblehead an early 2-0 cushion in the first half.
“We knew it was going to be an intense, cross-town rivalry. It has been like this since I’ve been a coach and we were fortunate to get the first [goal] to go and the second [goal] after that,” said Marblehead coach Elmer Magaña.
Despite trailing at halftime, Swampscott didn’t give up. It’s lone goal came in the second half as junior midfielder Milad Sassin chipped in a loose ball to provide the Big Blue with hope (2-1).
Magaña praised Swampscott in its effort to come back.
“They matched our intensity for 20 minutes and that is when their goal came in,” he said. “I reminded the guys that we went into their house last year and lost that game. This rivalry tends to go: whoever plays at home, usually goes out with the win. I had to keep reminding the guys to defend our turf.”
Swampscott coach Adam Bailey admitted his team went down a level after conceding the opening goal.
“We started off really well. We played solid for the first 10 minutes,” Bailey said. “We let in a goal that we probably shouldn’t have, hung our heads a little bit, and Marblehead dominated the rest of the first half.”
The second half was a different story for the Big Blue, who showed grit by battling for loose balls and controlling the pace.
“In the second half, we played much better, scored a goal, and got very close to tying it up,” Bailey said.
Although Swampscott came up short, Bailey offered his players some advice – both on and off the field.
“I was stressing to the boys that you just have to move forward,” he said. “You are going to come against things in life – and on the field – that don’t go your way, and you just have to move forward.”
Swampscott looks to bounce back on Wednesday when it travels to Winthrop for a 4:30 p.m. showdown. Marblehead travels to Peabody for a clash with the Tanners at 4 p.m. (both results were too late to print).