EHS Boys Soccer Wins Three Games; Now Stands at 10-3-1
The Everett High boys soccer team completed a perfect week, winning all three of its contests.
Coach Pedro Blas’s Crimson Tide defeated Greater Boston League rival Chelsea, 4-2, last Tuesday; edged GBL foe Revere, 3-2, last Thursday; and then topped non-league opponent Lynn Tech, 2-1, this past Saturday.
The trio of wins improved the Crimson Tide’s record to 10-3-1 on the season. Everett will complete its regular season in the coming week. The Tide was scheduled to meet Lynn English yesterday (Tuesday) and will trek to Somerville tomorrow (Thursday). They host Lynn Classical next Tuesday and travel to Wakefield next Friday.
Everett is ranked 41st in the MIAA’s power rankings in Division 1, but has punched its ticket for a Journey to the Tourney thanks to the Tide’s above-.500 record.
The top 32 teams in the rankings in each division are guaranteed a spot in the post-season state tourney. Teams that are not ranked among the top 32 must achieve a .500 or better record to qualify for the tournament.
A Great Senior Day for EHS Field Hockey
The Everett High field hockey team celebrated Senior Day last Friday in fitting fashion with a 7-0 victory over Greater Lowell.
All 10 of the team’s members of the Class of 2023 were honored prior to the start of the contest.
Cristina Snook got the Crimson Tide off and running with what EHS head coach Melissa O’Donnell termed a “fantastic goal.” Teammates Omar Marshall and Leo Figueroa.then both proceeded to score a hat trick to account for the 7-0 finale.
Earlier in the week, the Crimson Tide battled Haverhill to a 3-3 deadlock thanks to back-to-back goals by Marshall in the fourth quarter and then the game-tying tally by Figueroa.
“We had great defense in the end by Jessica Colman, Stephany Desouza, Julianna Edwards, Ella Hickey, Jules Curran, Taiasha Alexandre, and Bethy Palacios,” said ODonnell. “Our offense was led by Omar Marshall, Leo Figueroa, Kayley Rossi, Cristina Snook, Lindsey Sylva, Juliette Romboli, Megan Currie, Emma Longmore, Ricky Chacon, Malacia Guillaume, Yasseen Lily Khang, and Nguyen Malica Guillaume.”
Although the Crimson Tide dropped a 6-0 decision to Hamilton- Wenham last Wednesday, the final score did not reflect the team’s performance.
“We played very well in that game,” noted O’Donnell.
O’Donnell and her crew have a busy final week of the season. They were scheduled to take on Northeast Regional yesterday (Tuesday); travel to Peabody tomorrow (Thursday); and then will trek to Malden on Friday, to Revere on Monday, to Waltham next Wednesday, and to Wakefield next Thursday.
EHS Girls Soccer Edges Malden, 4–3
The Everett High girls soccer team earned a hard-fought 4-3 victory over Greater Boston League rival Malden last week.
Yelsa Garcia, Layla Bentancur-Cardona, Emilia Maria-Babcock, and Lamiah Wyard accounted for the goals for the Lady Crimson Tide.
Although Everett led for the entire game, they were unable to pull away from the Lady Golden Tornadoes, who always remained within striking range and who pulled within a goal late in the game.
“Malden gave us a run for our money,” said EHS head coach Dom Persuitte.
The Lady Crimson Tide came out on the short end of a 6-2 decision to Medford.
“We dug ourselves into an early deficit and we had to work hard to make a comeback, which we did in the second half when we played a lot better,” said Persuitte.
The first Everett goal came late in the first half when Yelsa Garcia took a foul in the box and Layla Bentancur-Cardona put away the penalty kick
After the intermission, Bentancur-Cardona delivered a 30-yard strike that went over the Medford keeper’s head for the second Everett tally.
“The second half was a much better half and we played very well as a team,” added Persuitte. “We still fell short, but I was very proud of the team for making a massive effort in the second half to try and cut the deficit.”
Persuitte and his crew were scheduled to meet Latin Academy this past Monday and Lynn English yesterday (Tuesday). They will entertain Somerville tomorrow (Thursday) evening at 6:00 at 7-Acre Park and will wrap up their season Monday at O’Bryant High.
EHS Girls Volleyball Tops Lynn English
Everett’s girls’ volleyball team earned their fifth win of the season last week against Lynn English, and rebounded nicely after a loss to Somerville with a spirited match against an undefeated Revere team, but ultimately dropped the match, 3-1.
“Every team we play has strong hitters and servers,” said coach Mike Fineran. “We know we can hang with the best of them, but we also can’t take anyone lightly. We have to play hard, make adjustments, and stay aggressive.”
That formula led to a comeback win over Lynn English in the Tide’s last away game of the season. Everett cruised to a 25-7 win in game one, led by junior Nicole Brandao, who served 11 in a row in the blowout. But Everett’s luck serving dried up in the second set, as they hit five of 13 serves out of bounds in a 25-12 loss.
Game three was even more lopsided, as Everett fell 25-10. “The message at that point was the same that it’s been all year,” said Fineran. “Move your feet to make better passes. Go after every ball. Be aggressive at the net.”
The team responded, keeping the fourth set close throughout. Senior Vanessa Almonte, who moved from outside hitter to middle hitter in the set, responded with two kills and a block. Brandao had two kills and two blocks. Junior Kaesta Sandy had a block. Senior Michelle Ngo had a kill, as did sophomore Victoria Rodrigues, who also served the set’s last two points, forcing a fifth set with a 25-23 win.
Junior outside hitter Darrynn Desrameaux came off the bench and provided two strong kills, including set point.
In the fifth and deciding set, Rodrigues and fellow sophomore Emilly Nogueira hit the last six serves in, and blocks from Almonte, Sandy, and Brandao gave Everett the edge, 15-11.
Fineran also credited the back row defense for fueling the comeback, especially the play of seniors Jane Ebay, Emanuelly Fernandes, and Alejandra Cajamarca.
“It wasn’t how we drew it up, but with the game on the line, we stepped up and grabbed the win,” said Fineran.
The next day, Everett hosted Somerville, looking to avenge an earlier five-set loss in a special “Pink Out” game to benefit the Side-Out Foundation, an organization that funds research on metastatic tumors.
Jen Spayne bought every player a warm up jersey and the team sold bracelets leading up to the game to raise money for the cause. The event was a success, but the result on the court was not.
“I think we were too hyped for the game,” said Fineran. “It was a special night, so we put a lot of pressure on ourselves to play perfectly. There were flashes of great volleyball, but every mistake felt magnified.”
Those flashes included four kills from Desrameaux, six kills and two blocks from Brandao, a pair of blocks and kills from Sandy, and three kills apiece from Almonte and Ngo. Almonte also tallied two blocks.
On Friday, Everett hosted Revere, who came into the match 16-0 on the season and took the first set, 25-15. Fineran noted that while Revere boasts a number of all-star caliber players, Everett made mistakes that made it easier for them to grab the opening set.
“We hit four serves out. We didn’t react quickly enough on passable serves,” Fineran said.
The Tide made adjustments in the second set, which they won, 25-23. Four service points from Nogueira helped build an early 7-3 lead, while Brandao had a block, a kill, and an ace as the game tightened. Almonte aced two of three service points to pull Everett within one, 17-16, and Brandao’s two serves gave Everett the lead 22-21.
Sandy got the serve leading 23-22 and earned her first varsity ace to push it to game point. She served the next one in, sealing the win. Revere’s libero captain showed why she is one of the league’s best, serving 15 in a row in the third set. Everett mounted a mini comeback, but an injury to Almonte late in the set stalled the momentum.
In the fourth set, Everett’s front row stepped up. Sandy, filling in at middle for Almonte, had a pair of blocks and kills. Brandao had a block and three service points. Ngo had two kills. Nogueira had four service points.
However, the team also missed six serves, which proved too costly against such a strong team. Revere took the set and the match, 25-18.
“I don’t usually feel good after a loss, but I am proud of the way we played,” said Fineran. “We could have done some things better, but I love our spirit.”
Everett hosts Pioneer Charter on Friday. Senior Night is Monday, October 24, against Lynn Classical. The Tide will host Saugus for their final match of the season on Wednesday, October 26.
Cross Country Teams Run Well vs. Revere
The Everett High girls and boys cross country teams turned in fine performances against Greater Boston League rival Revere on the latter’s 2.88-mile home course at Belle Isle Park.
The boys won their meet, paced by Sam Desir, who took first place with a time of 19:03. This was Sam’s second winning race in a row.
Desir was followed by Matth Telson in second place in 19:12; Anthony Cooper in third place with a time of 19:54; Nischal Tamang in fourth place in 19:55; David Huezo in seventh in 21:59; and Nilabhro Pal in eighth in 28:38.
On the girls’ side, although the Lady Crimson Tide did not prevail, they had two strong performances. Luca Jean Noel finished in third place with a time of 24:21 and Suzanne Maharjan came home in sixth spot with a clocking of 26:48.
“I was proud of how everyone ran in the meet,” said EHS head coach Brendan Hahesy.