WHS Sports Roundup

WHS football team hosts Saugus Friday

The Winthrop High football team will be seeking its first win of the season when the Vikings host Saugus in another edition of Friday Night Lights at Miller Field this Friday evening.

The opening kick-off is set for 7 p.m.

Winthrop dropped its season opener to Beverly, 21-6, two weeks ago, a contest in which the score stood at 7-6 until midway through the final period. Coach Jon Cadigan and his squad had a bye week this past week and put the time off to good use.

“Ordinarily, a bye week takes you out of your regular routine,” said Cadigan. “But it proved very helpful to us because we were able to work on a lot of things that we needed to improve upon, as well as giving us a chance to work on our depth by getting the entire team more involved in our practices than might happen during a regular week.”

In addition, the bye gave the Vikings the opportunity to scout Saugus. Cadigan and his team made the trek to Bedford last Friday evening to watch the Sachems in action in their overtime loss to Bedford.

“The team still remembers our loss to them last year in the final minutes and we have a lot of motivation to avenge that defeat,” said Cadigan, whose squad will be at full-strength health-wise for the encounter. “Saugus has its principal skill players returning from last season, but they are very young upfront. We’re excited to have a shot at redemption.”

A large crowd of Viking fans is expected to be on hand for the contest that will be played on a glistening Miller Field turf. Not only will the weather be perfect for Friday night football, but this will be the annual tailgate fundraiser for the youth football program, which is sure to draw a large contingent of Viking gridiron supporters.

WHS girls soccer opens with 3-1 win

The Winthrop High girls soccer team opened its season on the right foot with a 3-1 victory at Lynn Classical last Wednesday.

Junior Maura Dorr had the honor of scoring the first Lady Viking goal of the season when she reached the back of the Classical net in the first half, assisted by sophomore Mia Martucci.

Classical brought the contest back to level with a penalty kick before the half ended, but Winthrop took control after the intermission.

Junior Grace Galuris converted a beautiful corner kick from Martucci for what would prove to the winning goal. Dorr then potted her second goal of the contest, assisted by sophomore Julia Marcoccio, the Lady Vikings’ strong and fast sweeper, to provide an insurance tally.

Sophomore Manuela Mejia made her debut in the net for the Lady Vikings and earned the victory.

“This was a game in which we found out what we need to work on,” said WHS head coach Tracey Martucci. “We had a lot of opportunities to put the ball in the net, but we were having a hard time connecting, including two PK opportunities that we fell short on. But we did a lot of great things as well.”

Two days later the Lady Vikings came up on the short end of a 3-0 decision at Salem, which always proves to be a tough foe for Winthrop.

“Once again we had our chances, but just couldn’t connect,” said Martucci. “But I am seeing lots of great things on the field and as the season progresses, I think the team is just going to get better and better.”

Martucci and her crew were set to take on Saugus this past Tuesday under the lights at Miller Field in a contest that was dedicated to Childhood Cancer Awareness.

The Lady Vikings will play at Lynn English today (Thursday) and will trek to Tech Boston, a Division 4 rival, tomorrow (Friday). They will stay on the road to make the long journey to Gloucester this coming Monday before returning home to host Beverly next Wednesday.

Volleyball team wins three matches, now 4-1

The Winthrop High volleyball team is on a roll, defeating three opponents this past week in shutout fashion.

Last Wednesday the Lady Vikings earned a 3-0 victory over Snowden Academy, a Division 4 rival, and then followed that with another shutout win, a 3-0 triumph over Salem on Friday.

Carolyn Kinsella delivered 17 aces to lead a powerful serving game for the Lady Vikings in the Salem match.

“The Salem coach commended us on our team’s ability to work together and get the ball around the court,” said WHS co-head coach Rachel DelSolio.

This past Tuesday evening, Winthrop pitched another shutout, a 3-0 blanking of Lynn English. Caroline Earl had a big game, putting points on the board for Winthrop with her strong serves, defensive blocks, and some hits.

Kinsella had another great game, both serving and setting. Elle English and Lily Dias emerged as strong hitters for Winthrop during the match.

“Overall, the team played very well together and continues to improve with each match,” said DelSolio.

The Lady Vikings, who are coached by the duo of DelSolio and Lauren Kostegan, are scheduled to entertain Swampscott today (Thursday).

They will trek to Mount Alvernia tomorrow (Friday) and travel to Beverly next Tuesday before returning to their home court to meet Danvers next Thursday.

Golfers win two more, now 4-0

The Winthrop High golf team enjoyed a successful week, defeating two rivals to improve to 4-0 on the season.

Coach John Cross’s squad defeated both Saugus (46-26) and Lynn English (52-10) in convincing fashion.

Among the highlights of the week was the performance of freshman Dan Liberty, who moved up the ladder to make his way into the starting eight.

The Vikings were scheduled to host Gloucester yesterday (Wednesday)  and will entertain Danvers on Monday. Both matches will be held at the Vikings’ home course at the Winthrop Golf Club.

Winthrop will travel to Beverly next Tuesday and to Marblehead next Wednesday before returning home to the WGC to face Peabody next Thursday.

WHS boys soccer defeats Salem, 4-2

The Winthrop High boys soccer team earned its first victory of the season with a 4-2 triumph over Salem this past Friday.

The Vikings dominated possession in the first half and created a number of chances. Ten minutes into the contest, freshman Esteban Alvarez scored after he was sent in on goal from a pass by junior Chris Nunes.

Ten minutes later, Winthrop increased its lead to 2-0 when freshman Jason Arango received a pass from senior Kevin Dorr.

Salem got one back, but Dorr reached the back of the Salem net off a free kick from Arango at the end of the first half to leave matters at 3-1 in Winthrop’s favor at the intermission.

Salem had possession for the majority of the second half and narrowed the gap to 3-2 with about 25 minutes left to play. However, five minutes later Dorr converted a penalty kick for an insurance goal and the Viking defense held firm the rest of the way for the 4-2 victory.

Coach Kyle Gagin’s crew had opened their season two days previously with a 5-3 loss to defending Northeastern Conference champion Lynn Classical.

Classical held the possession for most of the game, but the Vikings grabbed a 1-0 lead early in the contest thanks to a quick counterattack led by Dorr, who sent a through ball to senior striker Abdul Hamada, who beat the Classical keeper.

Winthrop maintained its 1-0 lead through the first 40 minutes, but the Rams  soon asserted control after the intermission, scoring two goals within the opening 10 minutes to forge a 2-1 advantage.

The Vikings rebounded and brought the contest back to level with a beautifully-executed string of passes on the right side of the field that culminated in a goal when Arango played a ball to the top of the box, from where junior Antonio Xavier delivered an excellent strike to reach the back of the Classical net.

Classical regained the lead moments later, but Winthrop struck back when Xavier sent senior Kim Haddar on a through ball and Kim was just able to touch it past the Ram keeper.

The contest appeared headed for a deadlock as the game entered the final minutes, but the ref awarded Classical a PK that the Rams converted for the go-ahead goal. Classical then added an insurance tally with a goal off a free kick in the final 30 seconds for the 5-3 finale.

The Vikings will host Lynn English today (Thursday) and will entertain Gloucester on Monday at 6 p.m. under the lights at Miller Field. They will make the long trek to Beverly next Wednesday.

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