EHS boys soccer tops Somerville, 2-0
The Everett High boys soccer team celebrated Senior Night last Tuesday evening in appropriate fashion with a 2-0 victory over Somerville before a large and appreciative crowd at Everett Stadium.
The Crimson Tide, who were seeking to avenge a loss from earlier in the season to the Highlanders, grabbed a quick lead in the opening 10 minutes when senior captain Bryan Ribeiro headed his first goal of the year off a corner kick from senior Kareem Drissi.
“For the remainder of the first half, we dominated the ball in possession and kept Somerville at bay on the attack,” said EHS head coach Rodney Landaverde. “In the second half, we continued to control the game and limited Somerville from going forward.”
With about 20 minutes left in the game, Drissi found senior Luvens Hector on the run with a great ball over the top which Luvens brought down and slotted into the back of the Somerville net, sending the crowd into an uproar that remained for the rest of the game for the 2-0 finale.
Crimson Tide keeper Douglas Landaverde earned his third shoutout of the season.
“It was an amazing experience for everyone and with that win we sealed our ticket for the playoffs,” said Landaverde. “It brought me back to the days when I was playing under the lights in front of fans and I am glad this team and fans were able to experience that. This culture has been missing in Everett for many years and it is certainly coming back.”
Two days later the Tide hosted non-league opponent B.C High, a strong Catholic Conference team that is ranked ninth in Division 1. After the Eaglets took a 1-0 lead in the first half, Everett was able to create more opportunities against B.C.’s strong defense.
“However, we still struggled to focus on our passing and creativity in the midfield,” said Landaverde. “B.C High was able to slot away two more goals towards the end of the game and it ended 3-0. It was a great challenge for the team to face a strong and disciplined team who is consistently making the playoffs and facing off against the best teams in the state.
“Sophomore Edwin Menjivar got some minutes in net and it was good for him to gain some experience to build on that,” Landaverde added.
In their last contest of the regular season this past Monday, the Tide dropped a 3-0 decision to Boston International.
Landaverde and his crew finished with an overall record of 7-7-4 and 7-3-4 in the Greater Boston League. The Tide now will await the announcement of their seeding and first-round opponent in the MIAA’s Division 1 state tournament this Friday.
“I am very proud to have qualified for the playoffs in my first year as head coach and I’m looking forward to representing Everett in the state tournament,” Landaverde said.
EHS field hockey team ties Malden
The Everett High field hockey team punched its ticket for a Journey to the Tourney with a 4-2 victory over Revere last Friday in the season finale. The win gave the Crimson Tide a 7-6-4 record, thereby ensuring coach Nicola Jones’s crew of the .500 mark that is necessary to qualify for the Division 2 state tournament.
“Friday’s win was particularly exciting as it secured our spot in the state tournament,” said Jones. “This marks the first appearance for the field hockey program in the tournament in the past 10 years.”
The Tide set the stage for the tourney-qualifier with a 1-1 tie with Haverhill last Wednesday. In three games the previous week, Everett earned a 1-1 draw with Lowell, but came up on the short end of contests with Arlington (8-0) and Hamilton-Wenham (3-0).
“Despite the loss to Arlington, we held them scoreless until the end of the third quarter,” said Jones. “Midfielders and offensive players Cephas and Stephano Orleus, Olivier Derozier, and Justin Contreras Chacon all played well in the game.
“The Hamilton-Wenham game was close,” said Jones. “Many players stepped up. Anayha Sunsin played well in midfield, while Stephano Orleus, Jasmine Salvador, and Luiza Velev played strong defense.”
In a contest against Malden last Monday at which the Tide celebrated Senior Night, Everett earned a 1-1 draw.
“All of our players, including the seven seniors, Cephas Orleus, Jonathan Scioletti, Luiza Velev, Ricardo Contreras Chacon, Isabela Lima, Jasmine Salvador, and Olivier Derozier, played a great game,” said Jones.
Jones and her squad were awaiting the announcement of their seeding and first-round opponent in the D-2 state tourney, which was expected yesterday (Tuesday).
Strong showing for boys at GBL Meet
The Everett High boys cross country team turned in its best-ever showing in a Greater Boston League Meet at last Wednesday’s GBL Meet held on the 2.75 miles course at Torbert Macdonald Park in Medford.
The Crimson Tide were led by their top runner, junior Lucas Nunez, who finished in fifth place and earned a spot on the GBL All-Star team.
The Tide’s individual results were as follows:
5th – Lucas Nunez – 15:03
19th – Jeremy Whitlow – 16:13
25th – Anthony Whitlow – 16:46
28th – David Huezo – 17:01
34th – Carlos Pagan Landeo – 17:32
41st – Domincio Delle Rose – 20:51
42nd – Bryan Lewis – 22:28
On the girls side, Akanksha Neupane finished in 19th place in 20:54 and Shashi Pokhrel finished 30th in 23:28.
In the 1.75 mile JV race, Praytush Daria finished 18th with a time of 12:34.
EHS head coach Brendan Hahesy and his crew now will compete in the state divisional meet next Saturday, November 9.
EHS girls volleyball wins season finale
The Everett High girls volleyball team wrapped up its 2024 season with a 3-2 victory over Saugus this past Friday, winning the fifth set by a score of 15-12.
“This was our third fifth-set match of the week, all of them on the road, but this was the first one we came away winners,” said EHS head coach Michael Fineran. “We lost 15-8 to Revere on Monday and 15-13 Wednesday in Lawrence. If I had to choose, I would certainly like to have won them all, but I’m happy for our seniors that their final moment on the court was victorious.
“At 7-13 overall and 5-9 GBL, we did not end up with the record we were hoping for. But after starting 0-6, we have a ton to be proud of. This is a special place for me,” Fineran added. “I gave up coaching a few years ago, but came back four years ago when these seniors were freshmen, and I moved up the way most of them did: I was the JV coach their sophomore season, and their varsity coach the past two seasons.
“It is fitting that we were led to our victory by senior captain Victoria Rodrigues, the only four-year varsity player on the roster,” Fineran said. “Victoria has been our best server for her career. She has made more than 500 serves over the past two seasons, 311 this year alone, including a game-high 20 against Saugus. She also led the team in aces with 63, nearly 30 more than the second-highest on the team. She is a crafty player and a natural at any position. She’s our setter, but she still tallied nearly 40 kills.
“Our other senior captain, Sonia Constanza Flores, had 17 serves against Saugus, and has made more than 300 serves since the start of last season,” Fineran added. “Senior Ashley Seward notched her 100th kill of this season in the crucial fourth set, and senior Clarice Alexis led the team with 10, including three in the fifth set. She finished the season with 90 kills.
“Both Alexis and Seward came back to the team this year after not playing last year, but they were both on that freshman team that I coached, and I could tell back then that they would be special players,” Fineran noted.
“Tanessa Duvilaire added seven kills, finishing the season with 81,” the coach continued. “It will be hard to fill their shoes next season, but junior Juliette Romboli came on strong in the second half of the year after moving to outside hitter from her original position in the middle. That shift allowed her to take better approaches, and she was taking some of the best swings on the team this last week. She finished with 58 kills in just her second season of volleyball.
“Murielle Campo, Trinh Dang, and Emilly Nogueira were defensive stalwarts all year, and each of them provided a much-needed spark or timely serving when we needed it,” Fineran added. “Campo and Dang combined to make 12 of 15 serves with an ace each against Saugus. But no one aced them more than senior Kayleigh McMahon, who did it five times in just 10 serves. Juniors Amanda Verteiro and Nicole Damaceno were also instrumental in the win. Verteiro, a dynamic athlete who is normally an outside hitter, played in the back row, because we needed power and quickness to counter their strong servers. Damaceno hit 10 serves in and added two blocks and a kill to go along with her setting duties.
“I knew before the season started that our competition would be stronger across the board,” Fineran concluded. “I’m disappointed that we did not make the tournament like we did last year. But for all these players have done to raise the program up over the past few years, I am grateful. I’m happy for them that they got to end their careers as winners.”
EHS soccer girls fall just short of tourney
The Everett High girls soccer team, which fell just short of qualifying for the post-season state tournament, dropped a heartbreaking 1-0 decision to Greater Boston League (GBL) rival Somervlle, the first-place team in the GBL, last Tuesday. “It was one of the best team games we have played this year,” said EHS head coach Dom Persuitte. “Everyone stuck to the game plan and it went out without a hitch. Everyone played extremely well, notably Sofia Arana-Quintanilla, who had the best game this season. Emilia Maria-Babcock played great in the net and communicated well with the team. She turned away countless shots to keep us in the game. Despite not having many shots on the Somerville end, this was a win in our book. We practiced and played to the best of our abilities and played to the ‘script’ that we knew as a team would be a success.”
Two days later the Lady Crimson Tide came up the short end of a 7-0 decision to non-league opponent Beverly. “It was a very tough game, because we needed to win to advance to the tournament,” said Persuitte. “With that being said, everyone played well. We kept Beverly to 1-0 in the first half and our signature offsides trap worked extremely well. Emilia Maria-Babcock kept us in the game, turning away well over 20 shots/attempts. Her aggressiveness to come off her line helped immensely. “Yelsa Garcia was held to only two shot attempts,” noted Persuitte. “On her first she intercepted the ball, beat two defenders, and slotted a beautiful cross, but no one was there to make the easy tap-in. However, with that attempt, we knew we could break through the defense. The girls played every minute with their hearts on their sleeves. Beverly is a very talented and well-coached team. Playing a team like this gives us the knowledge and experience we need to be exposed to in order to improve as a program.” The Lady Crimson Tide ended their 2024 campaign with an 8-10 record, leaving them one win shy of attaining the .500 record that is needed to qualify for the post-season state tournament. “It was very sad to see our season end the way it did, but as I have always said since taking over the program, every year we are improving, and every player who graduates is laying the foundation for the future of this program,” Persuitte said. “This year’s team was exactly that, a team. We came together as one and played as one. I am so proud and grateful to have been able to coach this group of talented young girls. We are only graduating four, but their skill, talent, and drive without a doubt will be missed in the years to come.
They have set the standard for this program of what it means to be a team player and part of a team.” Persuitte concluded by thanking his four members of the EHS Class of 2025 who played in their final game for the Lady Crimson Tide. “I wish our graduating seniors, Yelsa, Emilia, Alondra, and Hilary, the best of luck in their future endeavors, and thank them for everything and for giving their all to the program. They will always have a place here — ‘Roll Tide!’ “