When the Everett High boys soccer team left the field after last Thursday’s contest at Greater Boston League (GBL) rival Medford, the scoreboard showed a Medford victory, 4-3, which was a disheartening result both for the Tide and their new head coach, Rodney Landaverde. Everett had carried a 3-0 lead into the intermission only to see it dissipate in the second half into a 4-3 loss at the sound of the ref’s final two whistles.
Crimson Tide captain Gabriel Garcia, Jonathan Hernandez, and Efrain Ramos reached the back of the Mustang net, with Lucas Rabelo-Araujo assisting on all three goals.
“We played well and followed our game plan in the first half,” said Landaverde, “but in the second half we fell apart.”
However, the following day, EHS Athletic Director Tammy Turner informed Landaverde of a dramatic turn of events — Medford self-reported that it had used an ineligible player, which meant that the Mustangs had forfeited, not only giving the Tide the win, but also providing Landaverde, a 2018 EHS grad, with his first official career coaching victory.
Landaverde and his crew were scheduled to take on three GBL rivals this week: at Malden yesterday (Tuesday), at Chelsea tomorrow (Thursday), and home at 7-Acre Park vs. Revere next Tuesday.