Boys soccer defeats Saugus, ties Swampscott

The Winthrop boys soccer team kept alive its hopes for qualifying for the MIAA Division 3 state tournament with a victory over Saugus and a tie with Swampscott this past week.

Coach Alex Brown’s Vikings stood at 8-8-1 entering their final match of the season with Peabody yesterday (Wednesday), needing a tie in order to attain the .500 record that is required to qualify for the post-season.

In the win over Saugus last Wednesday, the Vikings fought back from an early 1-0 deficit and tied the score when junior Seaghan Turner delivered a nice corner kick and senior Artur Vereza Rezende was able to knock the cross down and strike it short-side past the Saugus goalkeeper to bring matters back to level at the half.

Saugus struck early after the intermission to regain the lead, but the Vikings pressed the attack and never let up, resulting in three unanswered goals by Turner and senior Leandro Mendonca. Turner added an extra insurance goal late for the 5-3 finale.

“Seaghan and Leandro have been working tremendously on the attacking front,” said Brown. “They both position themselves well off the ball and are able to see critical passes as a play develops.

“Junior Matias Alvarez had a phenomenal presence in the middle of the field and was distributing the ball wonderfully in the first half,” Brown continued. “At halftime we talked with the boys about how many good opportunities they created in the first half and that we needed to capitalize on them. We discussed some Saugus players who needed to be marked. Our boys were eager to get back out there and continue to defend their home turf. Their camaraderie alone is what brought us the energy we needed in the second half.

“This win was critical,” Brown added. “The boys were pleased with the result and as a coach I couldn’t be more proud to have such a hard-working group to give us a chance of making the state tourney.”

This past Monday in the match with Swampscott, the Vikings held Senior Night festivities to honor the team’s 11 seniors — Jackson Faber, Kai Faber, Antonio Gomes De Paula, Grant Raddi, Chris Crocker, Neri Tanganelli, David Restrepo, Artur Vereza Rezende, Raphael Goeritzer, Patrick O’Mara Gomis, and Leandro Mendonca — for their contributions to the boys soccer program.

“This senior class has been nothing short of tremendous,” said Brown, who started all 11 seniors. “From the beginning of the season, this leadership group has been nothing but dedicated, focused, and motivated. They’re an excellent group of guys and we absolutely are going to miss them next year.”

Swampscott jumped out to an early 1-0 lead on a counter-attack that caught the Viking defense off-guard. The Big Blue maintained their advantage up until the final five minutes when Turner drew a penalty in the Swampscott box and Mendonca made good on the penalty kick to level matters at 1-1.

“Seaghan has been the engine to our offense,” Brown said. “He never quits on a play and his hard work was critical in securing us a tie to keep our playoff hopes alive.

“Our boys kept working and working throughout the entire game,” Brown continued. “We spoke with them about keeping the ball on the floor against the strong Swampscott back line, and they were so close on so many occasions to tie it. We had some excellent scoring opportunities from senior Leandro Mendonca, junior Seaghan Turner, captain David Restrepo, captain Kai Faber, senior Artur Vereza Rezende, and sophomore Enthony Silva.

“I am beyond proud of the group as a whole,” Brown added. “Even though it wasn’t the result we were hoping for on such a special night, it was a huge accomplishment for us to battle back.”

If the Vikings were able to punch their ticket for a Journey to the Tourney with at least a tie lvs. Peabody last night, they will await the announcement of their seeding and first-round opponent in the D-3 tourney, which is expected to get underway early next week.

WHS girls soccer keeps tourney hopes alive

The Winthrop High girls soccer team kept its hopes for qualifying for the post-season state tourney with a trio of key victories in their recent games.

In a 5-2 triumph over Excel Academy, Lola Ferrara scored a brace (two goals) with assists from Ella Survillas and Angela Coscia. Nia Ochoa (assisted by Olivia Green), Coscia (from Ferrara), and freshman Samantha Lawton also reached the back of the Excel net.

The Lady Vikings then toppled a long-time nemesis, Saugus, 5-3. Ferrara scored a hat trick with assists from Ana Freitas and Giuliana Grimaldi. Freitas, assisted by Grimaldi, and Coscia, assisted by Ferrara, added solo goals.

“Lola Ferrara had an outstanding four point game for us,” said WHS head coach Tracey Martucci. “We haven’t competed with Saugus in a very long time. The girls really showed up and showed they wanted to win. I was very proud of the way they took the game over.”

Last Thursday the Lady Vikings posted a 1-0 victory at Boston International, with Freitas scoring the winning goal. “It was a tough game for us to play,” said Martucci. “Due to it being a bit late, there was no warm up and a shortened game, but the girls held it together to pull off the win.”

The Lady Vikings, who stand at 6-7-2 on the season, need three points in their final two contests in order to punch their ticket for a Journey to the Tourney. Those matches were scheduled for yesterday (Wednesday) with Peabody and today (Thursday) at home vs. Marblehead.