EHS soccer team pummels two foes, plays Brockton evenly
Has the Everett High (EHS) boys soccer team emerged as a power to be reckoned with in eastern Massachusetts?
“It’s too early in the season to talk about how good we are or will be,” said EHS head coach Fred Jannino, who is the first to downplay talk of his team’s early season success. “We’re just taking things one game at a time. We still have a very tough schedule ahead of us, so it’s premature to be talking about expectations of success at this point.”
Still, after his Crimson Tide fought hard against perennial power Brockton (which ended up last season as the fourth ranked team in EMass) in a 2-1 loss at Glendale last Thursday, and then followed that up with convincing wins of 5-1 and 7-4 over GBL rivals Malden and Cambridge, EHS soccer fans can be excused if they are having visions of a GBL title and tourney success in their eyes at the present time.
Felix DeBona notched a goal at the four-minute mark for a quick 1-0 Everett lead against Brockton, but that would prove to be the only time that the Crimson Tide would reach the back of the Brockton net, as the Boxers’ keeper made some sensational stops over the next 76 minutes to fend off the powerful Everett attack.
“We had a lot of chances and made some great shots, but their goalie was up to the challenge,” said Jannino. “It was just one of those games where we couldn’t buy a goal.”
However, the Crimson Tide vented their scoring frustrations the following day with a seven goal outburst against GBL foe Malden. DeBona had a hat trick, and forward linemate David Lima pumped in a pair of markers. Senior Daniel Carvalho and junior Eddie DeSouza joined in the offensive fun with a goal apiece.
The Cambridge contest was a bit closer than the 5-1 finale might indicate, as the Cantabs hung close at 2-1 through three-quarters of the match. However, a flurry of tallies by Lima, junior midfielder Shelton Lucas, and junior midfielder Alberto Jeanty put the game on ice in short order.
DeBona accounted for his usual output with two goals in the first half.
“We’re playing well at both ends of the field,” said Jannino, whose team had a bit of a scare in the Cambridge affair when junior defenseman Philip Cuhna collided with a Cantab opponent as they went up to head the ball, with the result that Philip’s head bled profusely from a deep gash for which he was brought to the hospital to close the wound. “We’re 4-1, but we have a tough road ahead of us.”
The Crimson Tide boys will journey to St. John’s Prep today on Wednesday and host Somerville on Friday. They then will travel to Medford on Monday and to Malden on Wednesday.
EHS soccer girls notch first win in three years
It had been a long time coming for the Everett High girls soccer team. So when the ref sounded his whistle to signal the end of Thursday’s game with Pope John, and the scoreboard showed a 5-0 Crimson Tide victory, it was to be expected that head coach DeAnn Larrabee and her crew would exult triumphantly.
“It was very exciting for all of us,” said Larrabee, who is in her second year at the helm of the Lady Crimson Tide soccer program. “The girls have worked very hard and they deserved to get a victory.”
Jackie Steeves scored two goals for Everett, with teammates Kamilla Fernandes, Mariely DelGado, and Luana Demenezes joining in on the goal scoring. Katelyn Steeves assisted on Kamilla’s and Luana’s goals; captain Tracey Nicholson assisted on both of Jackie Steeves’s markers; and captain Jessamy Fuentes earned an assist on Demenezes’ score.
The victory was sandwiched in between two other fine efforts by the Lady Crimson Tide, a 5-3 loss to Quincy last Monday and a 1-0 loss to Malden on Friday. The trio of eighth- and ninth-graders accounted for the goals in the contest with Quincy, with Fernandes, Demenezes, and Kayla Ringdahl reaching the back of the net for Everett. Fernandes was credited with an assist on the goal by Demenezes.
“I really like what I’ve been seeing,” said Larrabee. “We played fabulously against Malden and had plenty of chances to score, but just missed on our opportunities. The Quincy game was 3-3 most of the way until Quincy scored two goals late in the game. We’ve come a long way, and we’re getting better every week.”
The soccer girls have a busy week ahead, meeting Pope John again tomorrow (Thursday) at Glendale, traveling to Somerville Friday, hosting Medford Monday, and hosting Malden on Wednesday.
Golfers top Somerville for first victory of the season
The Everett High golf team earned its first win of the season with a convincing 50-22 win over Somerville Thursday at Mt. Hood.
“It was nice to get that first win under our belt,” said EHS head coach Iggy Giangregorio, who made some lineup changes based on his golfers’ performances through the first part of the season. “Everybody played well and contributed to our victory.”
Mike Russo, playing in the number one slot, topped his Somerville rival by a solid margin of 6.5-2.5. Dan Concannon also easily handled his rival at the No. 2 spot, 7.5-1.5
Matt Huse outdid both of his teammates with a 9-0 blanking of his Somerville foe at No. 3, as did freshman Mike Vitukevich at No. 5. “Matt played his best golf of the season,” Giangregorio noted, referring to Huse’s round of 38, best among the field on the day. “As for Mike V., from the first time I saw his swing, I knew he would be a big help on our team this year, even though he is only a freshman.”
Eric Russo was a winner at No. 4, 5.5-3.5, and Stephanie Chaves halved her match with her opponent at No. 8, 4.5-4.5. Chris Mini contributed four points at No. 7, as did Mike Yebba at No. 6.
Earlier in the week, the Crimson Tide played well, but dropped a close 41.5-30.5 decision to Malden at the Unicorn Golf Course in Stoneham. Concannon was the lone winner at No. 4 by a 5-4 margin, but all of the seven other individual matches were closely contested. Huse fell 4-5 at No. 1; Eric Russo lost 3-6 at No. 2; Mike Russo came out on the short end of a 4-5 decision at No. 3; Vitukevich likewise fell 4-5 at No. 5; Yebba lost 3.5-5.5 at No. 6; Michelle Zullo dropped a 3-6 encounter to her Malden foe at No. 7; and Stephanie Chaves engaged in a 4-5 battle at No. 8.
“The Malden match was a tight one,” noted Giangregorio. “We battled at every spot in our lineup, and the match really came down to just one hole at each position in the lineup.”
Giangregorio and his crew will have a busy week ahead. The Crimson Tide played matches with Saugus on Monday and Boston Latin yesterday (Tuesday). They play against Medford at Unicorn tomorrow (Thursday) and then travel to Saugus Monday and host Cambridge at Mt. Hood on Wednesday.
Two ties for EHS field hockey team
The Everett High field hockey team played well in earning a pair of ties in action this past week, 0-0 with Ursuline last Wednesday and 2-2 with Malden on Monday.
“We played outstandingly in both games,” said EHS head coach Janet Colameta. “The girls played with intensity and kept their focus. We’ve really improved our stickhandling and our footwork, and it’s beginning to show.”
Everett controlled the play in the contest against Ursuline, but was unable to push across a goal. “We had our chances,” noted Colameta. “We need to have our forwards be in better position on the weak side of the opponent’s goal so that when the ball comes across, someone will be there to poke it in.”
The 2-2 tie with Malden proved to be a dramatic affair, as Nancy Nguyen scored the equalizer with just 1:30 to play. “Nancy is one of our players who has improved her stick work tremendously,” said the coach, “and her goal was well deserved.” Yasmin Akeeb assisted on the marker.
Brianna Uga, assisted by Lisa Aylward, notched the first Everett tally in the first half. Colameta noted the fine play of Casey Brennan at sweeper in the Malden game. “Casey was a real force for us on defense,” said Colameta. “She came up with a lot of balls for us.”
In a 4-1 loss to Danvers earlier in the week, Sam Sarni accounted for the Everett goal.
“I am very pleased with the way the team has played,” added Colameta. “They are giving 100 percent on the field and are improving with every game. It was nice to earn the ties, but if we continue to play as we have been, we’re expecting to add some wins over the season.”
Colameta and her squad will travel to Revere tomorrow (Thursday) and host Bishop Fenwick next Wednesday.
Volleyball team plays well despite losses
Although the Everett High volleyball team dropped all three of its matches this past week, EHS head coach Mike Fineran said he believes the best is yet to come for his Crimson Tide squad.
“We played well and we played hard in all three of our matches,” said Fineran. “We took on some very strong competition and held our own, which bodes well for the rest of the season.”
Everett came out on the short end against perennial GBL power Cambridge, always tough GBL foe Medford, and St. Mary’s of Lynn, another perennial power that has captured its Catholic League championship in two of the past three years.
After a slow start against Medford, a 25-14 loss for Everett in the first set, the Crimson Tide ratcheted up their game and battled to a 27-25 score in the second set. The Crimson Tide continued to play hard in the third set, taking a 22-21 lead, but eventually fell by a 25-22 margin.
“Both of those sets could have gone either way,” said Fineran. “I was very proud of how our girls battled right to the very end.”
Fineran lauded the play of Laura Michel for her serves, and captain Ingrid Serafim for her serves and sets.
The Lady Crimson Tide similarly started slowly against Cambridge, dropping the first set by a 25-12 margin, but competed strongly the rest of the way, with scores of 25-18 and 25-22 in the final two sets.
“We did a lot of good things against Cambridge,” said Fineran. “They have a lot of strength in the middle, but Amanda Souza and Tasciani Santos really stepped up their game and were a force for us with their spiking and blocking.”
The coach also praised the serves of Bersa Shkreta, which included three aces in a row during one stretch.
The match against a St. Mary’s team that also features a lot of power hitters was close all the way, as evidenced by the scores of 25-22, 25-20, and 25-22.
“This was our best match of the season against a very good team,” said Fineran, who particularly noted the fine serves of Eni Bashlarri, who accounted for 10 service points, including five aces, and captain Kristi Joti, who was credited with seven service points, of which three were aces. “Amanda Souza and Tasciani Santos once again played very strong games for us.”
The volleyball team has a lot of action on tap this coming week, playing at Pope John today (Wednesday), hosting Whittier on Friday, hosting Methuen on Monday, and hosting Malden on Wednesday.
Cross country runners compete in GBL Meet
The Everett High boys and girls cross country teams competed in last week’s GBL Open held at the Fresh Pond course in Cambridge.
The top finisher on the boys side was Matheus Turra, who completed the 5K (3.1 miles) distance in 22:21, good for 24th place. He was followed by teammates Ricky Perez in 23:01 and Nick D’Angelo in 23:38.
The winner of the boys race was Sam Greenberg of Cambridge in 17:03. Somerville captured the team title with 37 points, just edging out Cambridge, which had 39.
On the girls’ half of the score sheet, Jessica Mangan was the first Lady Crimson Tide runner across the line, in 18th place in 27:36. Running mates Adra Ringdahl and Angele Jean Louis were next, in 28:54 and 30:24 respectively.
The winner of the girls race was Ericka Silva of Medford in 22:34. Medford was the team champion.
The race was marred for Everett by injuries during the race to the teams’ top performers. Braythener Machado, who has been hampered all season with a calf-ankle injury, was forced to pull out, as was Delmis Urquiza for the girls.
“This was a tough break for both Delmis and Braythener,” said EHS coach Shelanda Irish. “We’re hoping they’ll be able to run this Wednesday [today] when we meet Cambridge on this same course.”
Two Crimson Tide runners also competed in the boys JV race, which consisted of a jaunt of 3.15K (1.8 miles). Jonathan Mendez and Andrew Jefferson finished in 19:32 and 19:33 respectively.
“With both of our teams coming back to Fresh Pond this week to take on Cambridge, we’ll be looking for everyone to improve on their times,” noted Irish.