EHS Roundup
Boys soccer team
remains undefeated
The Everett High boys soccer team remained undefeated with two wins and two ties this past week to raise its record to 5-0-2 at the one-third point of the season.
The Crimson Tide opened their fine stretch with an important 5-2 victory over Greater Boston League rival Malden last Wednesday at Pine Banks. The win improved Everett to 2-0 in GBL play and sets the stage for a first place showdown this Friday at Somerville.
Junior Gabriel Meireles reached the back of the Malden net three times to record a hat trick. Teammates Caio Morare and Matheus Pedro added a goal apiece.
The Crimson Tide made the long journey south to Brockton the following day and dueled the Boxers to a nil-nil draw. Two days later, EHS head coach Oswaldo Constanza and his few trekked north to Haverhill and battled for 80 minutes to another level game, this time at 1-1. Pedro, assisted by Meireles, notched the tying tally for Everett in the second half.
This past Monday evening, Everett took its road show to Woburn and returned home with a 7-5 victory. Goals by Diogo Battista and Morare for Everett in the first half left matters at 2-2 at the intermission.
The Crimson Tide came out firing on all cylinders in the second 40 minutes of play, scoring five more times. Battista struck for three more markers and Morare added his second goal of the game to give Everett a 6-5 lead. Jean-Carlos Ruiz provided an insurance goal with six minutes remaining to seal the victory.
“The whole team has been playing very well,” said Constanza. “Gabriel Meireles has provided a big boost to us as a scorer and playmaker and Diogo Battista has been playing great defense for us as well as scoring. Our two center backs, Jason Castro and Pablo Miranda, have been awesome anchoring our defensive line.”
Contsanza and his crew were set to face a big challenge yesterday (Tuesday) hosting St. John’s Prep, which will be a nice tuneup for the big showdown Friday at Somerville. The Crimson Tide are off until next Thursday when they play at Medford in another key GBL matchup.
EHS volleyball team
wins three straight
The Everett High volleyball team has been on a roll.
Coach Mike Fineran’s Lady Crimson Tide recorded three straight victories in the past week, the latest coming last Wednesday when Everett pinned a 3-0 shut-out on Malden, the defending Greater Boston League champion.
Fineran praised his squad for a total team effort. “We had 14 players get in the match, and each one contributed,” said Fineran of his team, for whom the triumph marked Everett’s first league win in four years.
Middle hitters Bella Lyles and Ariele Da Cunha combined for 10 kills and three blocks. Senior setter Naomi Dottin served seven in a row at a pivotal point in the first set, turning a 7-4 deficit into a 10-7 lead that the Tide never relinquished. Da Cunha also had four service points to close out the set, 25-18.
Brennan Moore and Yasmim Silver were defensive standouts in the second set, digging a number of Malden spikes and setting up the Tide attack. Jalissa Harding and Sabrina Moreta were offensive forces, as Everett cruised to a 25-11 win in the middle set.
In the third and deciding set, the standouts were Harding, who tallied four kills; Danielle Burge, who served five in a row to break open a 16-9 Everett advantage; and Mia LaRosa, who added two kills and two aces to make it 22-14.
Lisa Quang served the final point, as Everett sealed the match, 25-19.
“The girls were really playing hard, playing well, and pulling for each other,” said Fineran. “We were getting all the hustle points, chasing down balls out of bounds and sending them back over the net. They played with poise and confidence. It was fun to watch.”
The team was playing with confidence thanks to their second, fifth-set win in a row, this time a 3-2 victory over Pope John last Monday. Everett jumped out to an early lead in front of their home crowd thanks to Lyles, who had six aces to put Everett up 7-2. Da Cunha came out on fire as well, killing five in the opening frame, and Harding served the last four points as Everett cruised, 25-14.
The Lady Crimson Tide were unable to maintain their momentum, as Pope John rallied in sets two and three. “Those were close games. Sets two, three, and four could have gone either way,” said Fineran, whose team missed a serve down 24-23 to end the second set and then served one into the net with the game tied at 25 in the third set.
However, Everett flipped the script in the fourth set, with junior Yasmeen Guerrier serving one in with the Tide up 24-23, tying the match at 2-2.
“Yas has been phenomenal for us,” said Fineran. “She’s such a great athlete and she loves to compete. We have a lot of good hitters, but Yas sets up a lot of their swings. She’s also an unsung hero as a back row passer.”
Moreta had five kills and two blocks in the fourth set, and Lyles, LaRosa, and Harding each had kills.
In the fifth set, Guerrier’s serves gave Everett a 3-0 lead, which became a 9-1 advantage thanks to five serves from Lyles and four kills from Da Cunha.
“Ariele stepped it up when the game was on the line, and for the second time in a row shone brightest when her team needed her most,” said Fineran. Moreta aced the final point, as Everett clinched the win, 15-7.
The Lady Crimson Tide, whose three-game streak was snapped against Lawrence on Friday, were set to travel to Haverhill Monday and will host Brockton tomorrow (Thursday) before heading to Somerville Friday for a GBL showdown.