Sports 09-14-2016

EHS Roundup

EHS boys soccer team starts season on right foot

The Everett High boys soccer team opened its season with a pair of impressive victories this past week.

Monday evening saw coach Oswaldo Constanza’s Crimson Tide post a 6-0 blanking over Chelsea. The former ancient foes (from when Chelsea was a member of the Greater Boston League and before) have developed quite a rivalry on the soccer pitch in recent years that have attracted large crowds of fans to the battles between the opponents from across the Parkway.

However, unlike the past few years when the teams more or less have split their home-and-home series in closely-fought contests, the Crimson Tide held a solid advantage in their meeting Monday evening.

Five Everett players reached the back  of the Chelsea net, starting with senior Oswald Ruiz, who gave Everett a 1-0 lead a few minutes before the end of the first half. The Crimson Tide’s momentum from the late-half strike continued after the intermission, with senior Mateus Pedro making it a 2-0 affair about 15 minutes into the second half.

That seemed to open the proverbial floodgates, as the Tide rang up four more markers before the ref’s final whistles. Senior Pablo Miranda, junior Gabriel Meireles, and senior Diogo Battista (who scored two goals) applied the coup de grace for the 6-0 finale.

EHS keeper David Rosa, a junior, earned the shutout in net.

“It was a solid win,” said Constanza, who praised the play of his back line quartet of senior Jason Castro, Miranda, senior Kyle Costa, and senior Carlos Lopez for their role in providing solid support in front of Rosa. “Chelsea played very disciplined defense in the first half and it was impossible for us to break through. However, we wore them down in the second half with our superior depth and eventually our hard work paid off.”

The Crimson Tide journeyed to Portland, Maine last week for their season-opener against Portland H.S. Everett made the long trek a worthwhile one with a 4-0 shutout win. Ruiz, Pedro, Miranda, and Meireles took turns reaching the back of the Portland net. Rosa once again earned the shutout.

“We’re a senior-laden team,” said Constanza of his 2016 edition, which will be led by a quartet of captains, Caio Morari, Vinicius Rodrigues, Carlos Alvarez (who is out for the season with a torn ACL), and Rosa. “We have a lot of experience and we’re hoping for a good season.”

Constanza and his crew are set to host top GBL rival Medford tomorrow (Thursday) evening for a 7:00 kickoff at the Stadium.

EHS volleyball team shoots for fine season

When the Everett High girls volleyball team steps on the court this season, it will have depth and experience on its side — and it also will have extra motivation.

“One win. That’s what we had to live with all year,” said Michael Fineran, who is entering his 14th season as head coach of the Lady Crimson Tide. “Call it revenge, call it redemption, but we want to flip the script. We have the players, we have the size, and the ability. But we have to do more than want it. We have to go get it.”

Fineran has good reason to be optimistic. The varsity squad runs 16 deep, with senior captains Sabrina Moreta and Ariele Da Cunha and setter Nathanny Balbino playing their third year at the top level. Captain Nyomi Dottin, senior Jalissa Harding, and junior Yasmeen Guerrier starred on last year’s girls basketball team that qualified for the state tournament, and Fineran hopes their winning attitude can carry over.

Senior Lisa Quang anchors the defense, while junior transfer Isabella Lyles brings an imposing presence to the net. Fineran said that the team expects big contributions from former junior varsity standouts Catherine Gerrard, Mia LaRosa, Danielle Burge, and Brennan Moore. “We are going to need everybody,” said Fineran. “We have strong servers, big hitters, good passers. My challenge will be getting everyone in and finding the right combinations. But the attitudes so far have been great. They’ve bought into the team-first concept, and they all support each other and get along great.”

The Lady Crimson Tide dropped the season-opener, a tough non-league contest at Lowell last week, and traveled to Lynn English on Monday before returning home for three games against Medford, Triton, and Pope John.

“These 20 games will go by fast,” said Fineran. “We have our sights set on some lofty goals this year, and they are definitely within our reach. If we play up to our capabilities, we believe we can have a special season.” Fineran said that this upcoming week can go a long way toward making those goals a reality.

The 2016 EHS varsity roster is as follows:

Sabrina Moreta (Captain)

Ariele Da Cunha (Captain)

Nyomi Dottin (Captain)

Nathanny Balbino

Brennan Moore

Lisa Quang

Mia LaRosa

Jalissa Harding

Danielle Burge

Daniella Duperier

Catherine Gerrard

Thaliany Beltran

Mariah Matos

Yasmim Silveira

Isabella Lyles

Yasmeen Guerrier

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