WHS Sports Roundup

WHS Boys Soccer Blanks Danvers, 2-0

The Winthrop High boys soccer team returned to its winning ways with a 2-0 victory at Danvers last Thursday in its only contest of the past week.

The teams battled to a nil-nil draw through the first half, but the Vikings reached the back of the Falcon net twice after the intermission to come home with the victory, making for a happy bus ride back to Winthrop.

Winthrop broke the deadlock just one minute into the second half when senior JD Parker scored off a corner kick from sophomore Thomas Navarro. 

Fifteen minutes later, Navarro provided an insurance goal when he beat the Falcon keeper after receiving a through-ball that was delivered nicely by junior Damian Vidal. 

Viking goalkeeper Mateo Martínez thwarted the Falcons with a number of great saves to preserve both the win and the shutout, Mateo’s third clean sheet of the season. 

“Danvers is historically a great program,” said WHS head coach Kyle Gagin. “For us to win against them says a lot about how far this team has come. Winning this game after back-to-back losses will do well for our confidence.” 

Gagin and his crew, who now stand at 4-2 on the season, were scheduled to play at Salem yesterday (Wednesday) and will trek to Saugus tomorrow (Friday). They will host Peabody next Tuesday afternoon and Marblehead next Thursday afternoon at Miller Field.

Cross-Country Teams Underway

The Winthrop High boys and girls cross country teams have swung their season into high gear in the past few weeks.

After dropping their season-opener to Beverly, the teams took on Salem, with the girls emerging victorious by a score of 19-48.

Lady Viking April Ferguson won the girls’ race with a time of 19:03. Libby Carney came across the line in second place. After a Salem runner grabbed third spot in 20:33, Winthrop’s Sage Calinda finished fourth with a clocking of 21:15, followed by teammates Sofia Lindinger in fifth in 23:54, Lucy Giraud in sixth in 24:00, and Daniella Solarzano in seventh in 24:03.

On the boys’ side, Viking freshman Tim Vargus of Winthrop came in first overall with a time of 16:22.  The next Winthrop runner was John Rice in a time of 19:11 and then Ryan Cash in 21:56.

Last Wednesday, coach Mark D’Amico and his crew made the long trek to Gloucester to take on the Fishermen on their home course at Ravens Wood Park.

On the girls’ side, Gloucester’s Clara Emerson won the race with a time of 22:42. April Ferguson came in second with a clocking of 24:35, followed in third by teammate Libby Carney in 25:07.  The next six girls were from Gloucester to clinch the meet for the Lady Fishermen.

Sage Calinda was the next Lady Viking in a time of 30:15 and Sophia Lindinger came across in 31:38. “The girls worked hard and put forth their best efforts,” said D’Amico. “These are the girls who come to practice every day and work hard to improve themselves.”

For the boys, freshman Tim Vargus once again set the pace for the team. Tim was Winthrop’s top performer, coming in sixth place overall with a time of 23:30. John Rice and Ryan Cash finished up next for the Vikings.

“Overall, both teams did well on the Ravens Woods trail course,” noted D’Amico.

Winthrop’s next meet is set for next week at Salem.

WHS Girls Still Seeking First Win

The Winthrop High girls soccer team dropped a 4-0 decision to Danvers in a contest held at Miller Field last Thursday evening.

“We tried to take a different approach and play a bit more defensively,” said WHS head coach Tracey Martucci. “We held them off for a little bit, but unfortunately we could only do so for so long.

“But to hold Danvers to four goals is a positive that we can take out of the game,” added Martucci. “Our record may not be the best, but these girls are working hard playing very good teams.”

Martucci and her crew were scheduled to take on Salem yesterday (Wednesday) and will host Saugus tomorrow (Friday) afternoon at Miller Field.

They will play at non-league foe East Boston on Monday, at Peabody on Tuesday, and at Marblehead next Thursday.

WHS Volleyball Team Defeats Lynn Tech

The Winthrop volleyball team defeated Lynn Tech this past Monday in four sets.

Coach Lauren Kelly’s squad grabbed the first two sets by identical scores of 25-20, but dropped the third set,  26-24. However, the Vikings powered to a win in the fourth set, 25-16, to claim the victory.

“This match with Lynn Tech brought us a win after a tough match prior,” noted Kelly. “The team channeled their energy from a challenging third set to secure the win in the fourth. Junior Lilygrace Mulligan Palacios earned the game-winning point, hitting a set from captain Jessica Soares.”

The previous match to which Kelly was referring was a 3-1 loss last Friday at Watertown. After dropping the first set, 25-23, Winthrop tied the match by taking the next set, 25-22. However, Watertown claimed the third set, 25-17, and then took the fourth and deciding set in a hard-fought battle, 27-25.

“In the fourth set, junior McKenzie Margardo had a serving streak of nine, earning us nine points,” said Kelly. “This caught us up to speed in the last set, but sadly, we couldn’t push past them. It was a tough match and we fought until the end.”

This past Tuesday, Winthrop went up against a strong Danvers team and fell in three sets, 25-11, 25-15, and 25-13.

Kelly and her crew are scheduled to travel to Beverly today (Thursday). They will host non-league rival Mt. Alvernia on Monday before hitting the road to Greater Lawrence on Tuesday and to Masconomet on Wednesday.