Boys soccer needs two wins to qualify for state tourney spot
The Everett High boys soccer team split its two contests this past week.
Last Tuesday evening the Crimson Tide hosted Lynn English at Rivergreen Park in a contest that was highlighted by Senior Night festivities in which the members of the Class of 2026 were honored for their contributions to the EHS boys soccer program.
“We started off pretty well, moving the ball and connecting passes with each other throughout the entirety of the field,” said EHS head coach Rodney Landaverde. “Freshman Miguel Santos, junior Rene Lainez, and Kevin Renderos started us off really well in the midfield, moving the ball and getting us opportunities going forward.”
However, the teams entered the intermission locked in a nil-nil duel.
“In the second half we made adjustments to the formation to give us some better freedom on the ball and be more open up top,” said Landaverde. “Unfortunately throughout the second half Lynn English was being dangerous in our own area and from two very unexpected opportunities they went up 2-0. With 10 minutes left, timeout was called and we switched our formation to go all out.”
The move paid immediate dividends for the Tide. Two minutes after the TO, senior captain Gabriel Garcia was able to scrap a play together and scored a goal, assisted by Saymon Coelho, to close the gap to 2-1.
In the final minutes of the game, sophomore Jonathan Hernandez went down the line and took a shot that bounced off the English keeper’s hands and Coelho was able to place the rebound in the back of the Bulldog net to tie the game.
However, the referee decided an Everett player was offside on the play, nullifying the goal and leaving the Tide short, 2-1.
Two days later last Thursday, Landaverde and his crew traveled to Lynn to face Lynn Classical. Garcia, assisted by Rene Lainez, got the Tide on the scoreboard with an early goal.
Everett took its 1-0 lead into the locker room at the half and continued with the momentum in its favor after the intermission.
The Tide created multiple chances and senior Lucas Rabelo Araujo, who is coming back from an MCL sprain and was playing up top, had a great finish to make it 2-0. A couple of minutes later, senior Kerim Memic subbed in and had a fantastic finish after controlling the ball and taking a quick shot right, assisted by freshman Miguel Santos, to make it 3-0.
The Rams were awarded a penalty kick late in the contest for the 3-1 finale.
The Crimson Tide, who now stand at 5-7-4, were scheduled to wrap up their season with contests yesterday (Tuesday) at Somerville and tomorrow (Thursday) at Medford. Evetrett will need to win both contests in order to achieve the .500 record needed to punch a ticket for a Journey to the Tourney.
EHS field hockey rolls past Malden
The Everett High field hockey team put it all together to post a 9-0 victory at Malden last Wednesday.
“The team delivered a masterclass in teamwork and offense,” said EHS head coach Nicola Jones of her team’s dominating triumph. “Our players moved seamlessly as a unit, showcasing excellent passing that created numerous scoring opportunities.”
Several players celebrated their first goals of the season, led by Ivey Walker’s spectacular hat trick and assist. Stéphano Orleus contributed two goals, while Lindsey Sylva and Spencer Racine each added a goal and an assist. A highlight was the breakout performances of Anahya Sunsin and Paula Castillo, who both scored their first goals of the season, with Sunsin also providing a fantastic assist.
“This strong, collective effort set an electric tone for the rest of the week,” noted Jones.
“Our momentum hit a snag on Friday with a tough 3-0 loss at Haverhill, but the team’s effort and determination remained strong throughout the game,” said Jones. “Stéphano Orleus stood out again, showing fierce competitiveness and leaving everything on the field—demonstrating the heart the team will need moving forward.
“Although the score didn’t go our way, the resilience shown against a tough opponent is an encouraging sign as the season enters its final stretch,” Jones added. “With three games remaining, the team now looks ahead to a challenging finish, culminating in a meaningful Senior Night celebration and a final home game against Revere. Be sure to come out and support the seniors in their last regular-season match.”
The Tide were scheduled to meet Saugus this past Monday, Lowell today (Wednesday), and Revere tomorrow (Thursday) at Rivergreen at 5:30 for Senior Night.
A win and a tie for girls soccer
The Everett High girls soccer team enjoyed a successful week, earning a win and a tie in its two matches.
Last Tuesday the Lady Crimson Tide trekked to Lynn English and came home with a 2-0 victory. Kayla Andrade scored the first Everett goals from an assist by Sofia Arana-Quintanilla by splitting the defense in the 18-yard box.
The second Tide marker was scored by Odalis Sandoval from a free kick by Lavina Simon.The goal came via a scramble in the box, and Sandoval was there to crash into the goalkeeper, and she got her foot to the ball first.
“After we scored our first goal, everything clicked and the team was doing everything they were supposed to do,” said EHS head coach Dom Persuitte.
Two days later, Persuitte and his crew hosted Lynn Classical. “It was a classic, Tide vs the Rams,” said Persuitte of the 1-1 deadlock that was played on a windswept field at 7-Acre Park.
Everett played superbly in the first half, even with the strong headwind in the Tide’s faces. “It was a back-and-forth type of game,” said Persuitte “Lynn scored first in the first half off a fluke; our goalkeeper bobbled the ball and the ref said she crossed the line (questionable).
“However, we came back in the last seven minutes when Sofia Arana-Quintanilla made a run on a pass and beat the defenders, slotting the ball inside the Ram keeper’s right post,” Persuitte added.
“Major standouts in the game were Liv Simon, Jasmine Morais, and Odalis Sandoval in their respective positions,” Persuitte continued. “Morais has been an excellent addition to the squad after being pulled up from the JV squad.
“Our keeper, Gabriella Menjivar, despite allowing the goal, played excellently and made up for letting the goal in,” Persuitte added. “Gabriella made a game-saving save with about five minutes left. It was a breakaway, and her timing on coming out was perfect. She got to the ball, and the Lynn forward went tumbling over her — we couldn’t have asked for a better play. It was a textbook definition of how to make a save in a one-on-one breakaway situation.”
The Lady Crimson Tide, who stand at 5-7-2, need to earn six points in their final four games in order to qualify for the MIAA post-season state tournament.
They were scheduled to meet Revere this past Monday and Somerville yesterday (Tuesday). They will host Medford tomorrow (Thursday) and entertain Lowell next Tuesday evening at 6:00 under the lights at Rivergreen.
Cross country teams celebrate Senior Day
The Everett High boys and girls cross country teams celebrated Senior Day last Wednesday at their meet with Somerville at which the Crimson Tide seniors were recognized for their contributions to the EHS cross country program.
“We had a good final home meet vs. Somerville when we were able to honor our seven seniors for their loyal service to the team,” said EHS head coach Brendan Hahesy. “Their families and friends came out to support them on a perfect fall afternoon for cross country.”
Senior captain Lucas Nunez won his sixth consecutive race and beat his own course record at Rivergreen with a time of 16:35.
“It was a perfect way for Lucas to celebrate Senior Day,” said Hahesy. “The rest of the runners turned in strong performances against a perennially strong Somerville team that won both the boys and girls races.”
Final results:
Boys:
1. Lucas Nunez 16:35
7. Jeremy Whitlow 18:15
9. Chris Portillo 18:22
12. Carlos Pagan 18:39
13. Anthony Whitlow 18:57
16. Wilmer Fuentas 19:33
18. Raakin Shrestha 20:26
19. Bryan Lewis 20:44
20. Pratyush Darai 21:04
21. Dominico Delle Rose 21:21
25. Michael Lemus 22:05
28. Dante Gell 23:57
30. Brasesh Maharjan 25:07
Girls:
3. Akanksha Neupane 23:04
10. Shashi Pokhrel 26:50
11. Nathalia Cesario 27:37
Hahesy and his crew are scheduled to travel to Lynn Classical today (Wednesday) for their final dual-meet of the season prior to next week’s Greater Boston League Meet next Wednesday at Macdonald Park, a short ride down the Parkway in Medford.
Girls volleyball edges Medford in five sets
The Everett High girls volleyball team snapped a run of bad luck by posting a victory in exciting fashion with a thrilling, come-from-behind, 3-2 victory over Medford on Teacher Appreciation Night last Wednesday.
“We had played well in stretches over the past month, almost taking sets from teams in the upper echelon of the GBL like Lynn Classical, Malden, and Revere, but we hadn’t been able to get over the hump,” said EHS head coach Michael Fineran. “We finally did that against Medford, though it looked like the same script would play out early on.”
The Tide dropped the first set, 26-24, and the second set, 25-23.
“Once again, we were playing well at times, but ultimately making too many mistakes, like missing serves leading 23-21 in the first set, and trailing by the same score in the second set,” said Fineran.
However there were bright spots for the Tide in those sets that foreshadowed their comeback-to-come. Junior MariaJose Cardenas served five in a row with two aces in the first set. Senior Leliani Ros-Morales was nine-for-nine serving in the first two sets with two kills. Assistant captain Juliette Romboli had three aces and five kills.
Romboli continued her fine play in the third set with five more kills. Senior Lindsey Cherichel-Paul had two kills and a block and junior Melissa Mereiles served the winning point, 26-24.
In the fourth set, Ros-Morales served to put Everett up 6-0. Junior libero Cassandra Tayag served six more to grow the lead to 13-1, and senior captain Nicole Damaceno served the last two points, including an ace, to force Everett’s first fifth-set tiebreaker of the year.
Tayag and Damaceno combined for four aces and eight service points in the last set. Romboli had two kills, and senior Aya Selimovic had her second block in as many sets in the 15-8 victory.
“It was a special win, on a special day,” said Fineran. “Our spirits remained high all season and we never quit. To finally have the effort rewarded felt great. To do it on Teacher Appreciation Night made it even sweeter.”
The Tide almost pulled off back-to-back five-set wins against Saugus on Friday, but fell short, 15-9, in the deciding set at the EHS gym.
“We are not going to make the tournament, but the atmosphere in the gym was like a playoff game, and it was fun to be a part of,” noted Fineran.
Tayag served eight times in the opener, and Romboli had five kills as Everett rode the wave of momentum from Wednesday to a 25-20 win. The Tide were not as sharp in the second set, falling 25-16, but they rallied to take set three, 25-22, as. Damaceno served five in a row to turn a 17-20 deficit into a lead, and junior QiongQiong Chen served the final two points in the set.
Sophomore Elora Philippe played a key role for Everett with six kills, a block, and an ace in the final three sets, including four kills in set five, but the Lady Tide’s lady luck ran out.
Fineran and his crew have three matches remaining on their schedule: They hosted Revere this past Monday and will entertain Malden today (Wednesday) on Senior Night. They will close out the season tomorrow (Thursday) when Lowell comes to town. “All three opponents are tough, tournament-bound teams, but we’re going to come out fighting and see what happens,” Fineran said.