Not long after the Swampscott High girls soccer team was upset on penalty kicks in the first round of the Division 2 North tournament last November, the Big Blue's then-juniors were already thinking about next year.
Fast forward 10 months, and while the early exit lingers in their minds, Swampscott's veteran players are more focused on repeating that great regular season — and having an even better playoff ending.
"We do think about that last game because we thought we would go deep in the tournament — but we didn't," said Swampscott co-captain Skylar Sabbag. "Unfortunately it came down to the shootout, and at that point somebody has to win. This year, we want to make sure it's us."
The Big Blue are led by a trio of senior captains that have been varsity contributors since they were freshmen. Sabbag anchors the midfield while Marissa Gambale, last year's leading scorer, is also back. Sarah Burnham is another polished leader that will shift between defense and midfield.
"It looks good, especially having our captains spread out around the field. There's leadership everywhere," said Sabbag.
Plenty of depth
Swampscott has been to the state tournament in each of the last six seasons, and with a deep crop of upperclassmen back there's no reason to think this won't be the seventh.
Megan Dawley and goalie Tara Nimkar round out the senior class, while juniors Erin Langan, Casey Connolly and Jen Cleary are among the other standout returnees.'
"We have high hopes," said Big Blue head coach Fred Day. "This is a group that really enjoys playing together — they've been talking about this season since the day the last one ended."
If there's a concern, it's in the defensive end. The Big Blue have to replace Allison Colson, last year's captain and a lock-down player at the stopper spot.
On the plus side, Nimkar was solid in just her first year ever playing goalie last season. She's settled in nicely and provides a comfortable confidence between the pipes.
"(Tara) gives the defense some confidence," said Day. "She's still learning, but she was so good last year that we didn't want to change much. We've added some wrinkles while also trying to keep her comfortable."
Versatility is also a strong point. Depth (a total of 42 players tried out for the team) is in abundance, and Swampscott is so solid at midfield that some of those players will be moving up to help out at forward.
How to be successful
As always, there are newcomers and underclassmen in the mix as well. Helping show freshmen the way is especially important to the captains, who were in their shoes what seems like yesterday.
"I can't believe I'm a senior already," said Sabbag, who also runs the 600 and relays in indoor track. "(Marissa, Sarah and I) were the ones who made it as freshman and now we're captains, which is really cool. We know what it's like to be that young.
"For me, I want to always be working really hard so that the underclassmen know that to be successful, you have to work for it."
Swampscott will be challenged by the likes of Peabody, Salem and Beverly in the Northeastern Conference. Saugus also looks to have a strong team.
But an old rivalry takes center stage in the opener tomorrow, when the Big Blue challenge Danvers.
"We're so excited. We can't wait to get out there," said Sabbag. "It was the same (starting with Danvers) last year. It's tough having a rival first, but I like it. It makes us work harder to start the season."
