WHS Boys Soccer Tops Marblehead, E.B.
The Winthrop High boys soccer team is off to one of the best starts — if not THE best start — in the program’s history as a member of the Northeastern Conference.
After routing NEC rival Saugus in their season-opener last week by a score of 8-1, coach Kyle Gagin’s squad defeated Marblehead and non-league rival East Boston by identical scores of 2-0 before dropping a 3-1 decision to a strong Beverly team.
The victory over the visiting Magicians from Marblehead took place in the rain on the turf and under the lights at Miller Field last Thursday evening in conditions that would have been unplayable in the old Miller swamp.
After a level first half in which neither team could reach the back of the net, the Vikings put home two goals after the intermission, the first by Danish exchange student Gustav Hemmingsen and the second by Aymane Cherki. Hemmingsen and Juan Guauque were credited with assists.
“The big story was the play from our goalie, Mateo MartÃnez,” noted Gagin. “He made a number of big saves to record his first career varsity shutout.”
On Monday the Vikings grounded the Jets of East Boston by the same score. Hemmingsen accounted for both Winthrop markers, scoring on a penalty kick after being brought down in the penalty box in the first half and beating the E.B. keeper in the second half on which sophomore Loert Mana delivered a nice, low crossing pass for the assist.
Martinez once again was immense in net to pick up his second straight clean sheet.
In the contest with Beverly this past Tuesday, Hemmingsen — who appears to be en route to setting a WHS single-season scoring record — recorded his ninth goal of the season in four games.
“Our defensive back line of seniors Ryan Kfoury, Zane Bower, JD Parker, and Chad Bernstein have been the rock of the team and have put in a great defensive performance every game,” noted Gagin. “Beverly is one of the better teams in the state, let alone the NEC, so overall I was pleased with the performance. We controlled the second half for quite a bit. This game showed we can hang with great teams. Even though we lost, we can still build on this.”
Gagin and his crew return to the pitch this Tuesday when they will host the Fishermen from Gloucester in another evening battle under the lights at Miller. The opening kick-off is set for 6:00. The Vikings then will hit the road to Danvers next Thursday.
Volleyball Team Defeats Swampscott in Exciting Contest
The Winthrop High volleyball team earned an exciting, come-from-behind victory over Northeastern Conference rival Swampscott on Tuesday.
The Vikings won the first set handily, 25-13, but dropped the next two by scores of 25-14 and 25-20.
The Big Blue appeared headed to victory when they grabbed a lead in the fourth set, but the Vikings hung tough and made some clutch plays to eke out a 25-23 win to tie the match at 2-2.
That set the stage for the dramatic fifth and deciding set, a quick race to 15 points, and Winthrop prevailed thanks to some more clutch performances, 15-12, to claim the match.
“We were down during the fourth set, but ended up pulling through to win it,” said WHS head coach Lauren Kelly. “During the fifth set, captains Megan Goudge and Jessica Soares both had successful serves that brought us the advantage.
“In the fourth and fifth sets, the team worked together to focus on communication and passing to the setter to make more effective plays,” added Kelly.
Members of the 2021 WHS volleyball roster, who are led by captains Elle English, Megan Goudge, and Jessica Soares, are: Evan Bernstein, Beatriz De Sa, Isabella Quilty, Mckenzie Margardo, Lilygrace Mulligan Palacios, Grace Fleirel, Sara DeGennaro, and Hanna Essaouabi.
Kelly and her crew entertain non-league rival Watertown today (Thursday) and then will head to Saugus on Monday and will return home to host Salem next Wednesday.
WHS Girls Soccer Seeking First Win
The Winthrop High girls soccer team will be seeking to break into the win column when coach Tracey Martucci and her Lady Vikings host Northeast Regional this coming Tuesday. The opening kick-off is set for 6:00 under the lights at Miller Field.
Winthrop has faced three of its top Northeastern Conference rivals thus far, but has come up short in battles with Saugus, Marblehead, and Beverly.
“We came out of the gates facing three strong opponents,” said Martucci. “I think we have played well against them. I have to give a lot of credit to my defense, which has had a ton of pressure on them for most of the games. “
After the encounter with Northeast, Martucci and her squad will make the long trek to Gloucester on Tuesday and then return home for another night game (6:00 kick-off) at Miller against Danvers.
Busy Stretch Ahead for WHS Golfers
The Winthrop High golf team was set to host its first home match of the season yesterday (Wednesday) when coach Weston Lazarus and his Vikings entertained Gloucester at the Winthrop Golf Club.
Winthrop then will travel to Danvers today (Thursday) and return to the WGC on Tuesday to take on Saugus, whom the Vikings defeated in their initial meeting to open the season last week. Winthrop will be back on the road next Thursday to play at Marblehead.
The top eight members of the 2021 Viking varsity squad are: junior captain Connor Murphy, junior Dan Liberti, junior captain Nico Babine, sophomore Eli Wickham, sophomore John Feeley, sophomore Joseph Rich, senior Zack Shea, and sophomore Peter Silverman.