The Revere High boys soccer team clinched its first post season state tournament berth in 12 years with a tie and a win this past week.
“This is a great accomplishment for our program,†said RHS head coach Nik Tower, whose squad punched their ticket for a Journey to the Tourney with an emphatic 4-0 win over Saugus last Thursday. “But we still have a lot more to accomplish. We want to win our division in the Northeastern Conference and continue to add more points to our record so we can have a high seeding in the tourney.â€
The Saugus victory saw four Patriots, Andres Herrera, Breny Guzman, Leo Giraldo, and John DiVenuti, reach the back of their opponent’s net. Defensively, Tower praised the efforts of sophomore Steve Reyes-Pineda and junior Marvin Vasquez. “Our entire defense really has stepped up since we lost Diego Mancia,†said Tower. “Diego was one of our best defenders, but his teammates have come through in his absence in a big way.â€
A few days earlier the Patriots battled Marblehead to a 4-4 tie, a contest in which the Pats learned the truth of the axiom, “A tie is like kissing your sister.†Revere had jumped out to a 3-0 bulge and appeared to be in cruise control mode, but the Magicians stormed back to tie matters at 3-3. Revere pulled ahead, but once again Marblehead, which is winless this season, managed to dent the Revere goal to earn a tie.
“This was a very frustrating game for us,†said Tower. “Still, we got a point out of it and that set the stage for us to clinch the tourney berth.†Giraldo and Herrera each scored two goals for Revere.
The boys have a big week on tap. They hosted Lynn English Monday; travel to Lynn Classical today (Wednesday); host Boston’s O’Bryant High School Friday evening under the lights at the turf field in a non league skirmish; and play at Winthrop next Tuesday evening.
The three league encounters are all against rivals from the Northeastern Conference’s South Division and their outcome should decide the South Division champion.
