By DAN PAWLOWSKI
W
THE SENIORS were honored before Wakefield’s 3-1 win over Swampscott on Friday night at Landrigan Field. Pictured with their families from left to right are seniors Aliza Margolis, Abby Myette, Megan Clark, Kayla Hurley, Rachel Caplin, Ally Bligh, Sam Goc, Shea Suntken and Emma Waldeck. (Courtesy Photo)
AKEFIELD — The Wakefield High girls’ soccer team celebrated their seniors in style with a 3-1 victory over Swampscott on Friday night at Landrigan Field.
The Warriors honored the nine seniors and their families before the game, celebrating a group that has lifted the team into postseason contention this year.
Wakefield’s senior captain Aliza Margolis scored two first-half goals to give Wakefield a 2-1 lead at halftime and senior captain Rachel Caplin gave the Warriors some insurance in the second half while the defense held strong for a hard-earned win.
Of course, this night was always about the Class of 2025: Captains Caplin, Margolis, Megan Clark, Abby Myette and Shea Suntken along with Ally Bligh, Sam Goc, Kayla Hurley and Emma Waldeck.
“The senior group has been big in helping us get to where we want to be,” said head coach Nico Manganiello. “They’ve really taken to the coaching and have put a lot of trust in my staff. They came in ready to work and learn and it really set a tone for the rest of the program.”
Landrigan Field was the perfect backdrop for Wakefield’s seniors as they felt the community support from family, friends, teammates and even future Warriors who were there rooting on their heroes as a part of Wakefield Soccer Association’s Youth Night.
Swampscott matched Wakefield’s energy early in this one as the first 15 minutes were very even. It was in the 16th minute that the home team took the lead for good.
Margolis scored the first goal of the game assisted by Suntken after Hurley won a 50/50 ball in midfield and played it across. A touch by Suntken put Margolis in position to be one-on-one with a defender, a matchup she has rarely lost this season. A quick shift to the outside put the ball on the left foot of Margolis with a clean look at the net and she finished far side to get the Wakefield faithful on their feet.
With Margolis, Suntken and Caplin creating chances while Myette and Clark anchored the defense, it was no surprise that the captains came to play on Senior Night.
“Our captains have really been leading the charge and it’s been great to watch them grow as leaders as the season has gone on,” said Manganiello.
Of course, Wakefield’s entire group of seniors contributed to this win. Hurley’s tenacity created problems for the Big Blue midfielders all night while Goc and Bligh combined strong defense with dangerous runs. All the while, Waldeck was a rock in net — of course, nothing new for Wakefield this season.
Margolis scored her second on a beautiful free kick from about 20 yards out, hitting a lefty laser into the top left corner for a 2-0 lead. The Warriors created the chance with some perfect passing, started fittingly with Margolis finding freshman Ella Ferrell who moved it along to Suntken who was fouled.
Swampscott halved their deficit late in stoppage time, scoring on a penalty kick after a foul in the box.
The second half belonged to Wakefield, with center backs Myette and freshman Laurel Renzi working hard to keep the Big Blue away from the scoring areas.
Caplin’s goal came just five minutes into the second half. The play was started with Renzi getting to a long ball and sending it up to junior Stella Carlino who dished to Suntken. A perfect through ball by Suntken found Goc racing down the left sideline. Goc’s cross was hit with pace on the ground, an ideal ball for Caplin who had seen the play develop and beaten her defender to the inside, finishing in traffic for a 3-1 Wakefield lead.
Waldeck and the defense took it from there, closing out the rest of the half without allowing Swampscott a chance to get back into it.
Wakefield improved to 5-6-4 with the win and have been continuing to play their best soccer with each new game.
“They’ve been fighting all year and that fight has led us to be in position to battle for a playoff spot in these last two games,” said Manganiello of the seniors. “I give a lot of credit to this group because we started 0-4 and lost three of those games by one goal. It was frustrating but the seniors helped to keep everyone in line and now things are really clicking.”
Manganiello was speaking after Wakefield moved to 6-6-4 with a 2-0 win over Watertown on the road Monday.
Margolis and Suntken got the goals for the Warriors in that win, Margolis in the first half and Suntken in the second.
With that victory, the Warriors are 6-2-4 in their last 12 games and 3-0-2 in their last five. Wakefield hosted Wilmington last night after press time. Their final regular season game is set for Saturday, 6 p.m. in Saugus.
The Warriors were ranked No. 27 in the latest Div. 2 power rankings. A win over Saugus (11-1-3, No. 8 in D3) would automatically qualify the Warriors for the tournament with a .500 record. The top 32 ranked teams, regardless of record, also automatically qualify.
