Leaving it all on the field is an overused cliché, perhaps, but it's an apt description of the game senior sweeper Ashley Marcellino turned in for the Winthrop girls soccer team Tuesday.

If the pouring ran and mud weren't enough for Marcellino to contend with, there was also the five time defending Class C state champion North Yarmouth Academy Panthers to battle. Winthrop coach Marc Fortin wanted to play the game because he thought the conditions would neutralize NYA's passing game as well as its speed. It did to an extent, but it didn't help Fortin's Ramblers, either.
The game was played in Winthrop's end of the field and most of the pressure was on Marcellino and goalie Anna Smithgall. At just about 5-foot-2, the rugged Marcellino was no match for the speed of NYA forwards, but she somehow found a way to thwart several scoring opportunities.
"Their sweeper really played hard and took a lot of hits and kept on playing," NYA coach Elayna Zachko said.
Lesser players would have stayed down after some of the physical abuse Marcellino suffered during the game, including a particularly hard hit to the knee she took in the second half. But she limped to her feet and kept playing.
"She's a tough nut," Fortin said. "She's our goalie on the girls hockey team and she's a tough girl."
Winthrop's 3-0 loss ended the season for the team's seniors, none of whom could be prouder of their effort than Marcellino.