RHS Boys Soccer Improves to 6-2-1; Hosts Somerville Sat.
The Revere High boys soccer team enjoyed a successful week, defeating Greater Boston League (GBL) rivals Malden and Lynn Classical and earning a tie with first-place Somerville to improve their record to 6-2-1 on the season.
The draw with Somerville, which stands atop the GBL with a 6-1-1 record, sets the stage for a showdown this Saturday afternoon (assuming Revere and Somerville win their games this week) when the Patriots host the Highlanders at 4:00 at Harry Della Russo Stadium.
In a 2-0 victory over Malden, Kaue Alves (unassisted) and Emmanuel Lopera, assisted by Santiago Velez, reached the back of the Golden Tornado net.
In the 1-1 deadlock with Somerville last Tuesday, Nicolas Morgira notched the equalizer with an unassisted goal.
In a 5-3 triumph over Lynn Classical last Thursday, Jeremy Romero (unassisted and assisted by Brayan Medina) and Alves (assisted by Francisco Navarette and Santiago Velez) both scored two goals, with Velez (from Medina) also reaching the back of the Ram net.
Coach Manny Lopes and his crew were scheduled to meet Lynn English yesterday (Tuesday) and trek to Everett tomorrow (Thursday) before their big game with Somerville on Saturday. They will play at Chelsea next Tuesday.
Undefeated RHS Girls Soccer Ties Somerville, 1-1
The soccer match of the season between Revere and Somerville, the two top girls’ teams in the Greater Boston League (GBL), ended in a 1-1 draw on the Revere High pitch last Tuesday. Both teams had entered the fray with undefeated records in the GBL. In addition, the Lady Patriots had been unscored-upon in the process of accumulating their 8-0 record.
Ari Pina scored the lone goal for Revere with a free kick in the first half. Somerville brought the contest back to level, notching the equalizer with 16 minutes left in the second half. “Our defense came up huge, with Fatimia Oliva making some big stops for us,” said RHS head coach Megan O’Donnell.
Two days later, the Lady Patriots returned to their winning (and shutout) ways with a 3-0 victory over Lynn Classical, the third-place team in the GBL, which had narrowly lost to Somerville, 1-0, earlier in the season. Samarah Paiva scored off a pass from Erika Mejia; Catalina Chavizo scored thanks to another assist from Mejia; and Mejia delivered a free kick into the back of the Lady Ram net to provide the Revere offense. RHS goalkeeper Nisrin Sekkatt posted another clean sheet, coming up big with some key saves in the second half to preserve her eighth shutout of the season.
The Lady Patriots, who are 9-1 overall (which includes a forfeit win from earlier in the season) were scheduled to take on GBL foes Lynn English yesterday (Tuesday) and Everett tomorrow (Thursday). They will travel to non-league rival Boston Collegiate on Monday and will entertain Chelsea next Tuesday.
Girls Volleyball Team Tops Two GBL Foes
The Revere High girls volleyball team broke into the win column with a pair of victories over two of their Greater Boston League rivals this past week.
Last Wednesday, coach Emilie Hostetter’s crew defeated Lynn English, 3-1. Leading the way for the Lady Patriots were Susan Lemus Chavez, who served five aces, delivered six kills, and made 12 assists; Liv Yuong, who had four aces and 10 kills; Danna Canas, who contributed seven kills; and Samantha Hoyos, who served six aces.
Last Friday, Revere shut out Medford, 3-0. Susan Lemus Chavez once again was a force with five aces, six kills, and 14 assists. Lea Doucette contributed five kills and eight aces.
Hostetter and her crew are scheduled to travel to Malden today (Wednesday) and will make the long trek to non-league rival Greater Lowell on Friday. They will host Somerville next Monday.
RHS/MHS Golfers Improve to 7-1-1
The Revere/Malden golf team has been on a roll, turning in some superb performances in the past two weeks in their drive to claim a berth in the post-season state tournament.
Last Tuesday, coach Brandon Pezzuto and his crew took on Greater Boston League (GBL) rival Medford at the Mount Hood Golf Course in Melrose and came away with a 47-25 victory. “Mount Hood is certainly a challenging course if you find yourself in difficult positions,” said Pezzuto, “and I think our golfers have learned that through our practice sessions. We were able to simplify the course by playing short of the greens as opposed to directly at flags, running the risk of finding their ball over the green with difficult scrambling positions.”
Some highlights from the match included Frankie Annunziata, playing at #2, winning his match 6-3 with a birdie on the 165- yard, par-3 following a great approach shot to within three feet of the cup. Jonathan Wells, playing at #5, won his match 7-2 with a well-played opening birdie on the 470-yard, par-5. Tommy Cronin, playing in the #6 slot, also won his match handily, 7.5-1.5, with a steady round of solid play. Ollie Svendsen at #7 consistently battled his Mustang foe to win his match 6-3, and at #8 Ryan Coggswell kept his ball in play to win 7.5-1.5.
“The coaching staff was particularly impressed with the significant improvement in our team’s ball striking,” said Pezzuto. “The coaches observed an increased number of fairways and greens in regulation. Our golfers have been improving each match and we are very happy with the progress we have seen thus far.
“As a whole, we have worked on controlling our tempo to hit more controlled shots, keeping more shots in play and in better positions to improve our scores,” continued the coach. “We have numerous athletes beginning to compress the ball, causing the ball to project off the clubface. Our focus moving forward will be strictly our short game, specifically lag putting (focusing on two putts rather than three putts), chipping with numerous clubs, and pitching the ball with the goal of getting up and down.
“We are confident that if our golfers approach our short game work as deliberately as our work on the full swing, they will further develop their repertoire of shots, filling the golf shot toolbox with even more tools,” Pezzuto added.
A few days previously, the Patriots took on Somerville, one of their chief rivals in the GBL, and earned a 36-36 tie with the Highlanders at Stoneham Oaks. Among the highlights for Revere were a 5.5-3.5 win by Malden freshman Tommy Cronin in the six spot; a 5-4 win by Revere junior Jonathan Wells at #5; and a 4.5-4.5 tie by Malden junior Chris MacDonald at #2. Additionally, Malden junior Bo Bogan participated in his first match of the season in the #8 slot, winning his match, 5.5-3.5, to secure the tie.
“This year has taught us time and time again that each half point is valuable, as a total of just one point separates us from having an undefeated season thus far,” said Pezzuto. “However the coaching staff believes that falling short is a great way to reinforce one of our core values, which is to be resilient and to compete for each and every point regardless of the overall score of your match.”
That axiom proved true in the team’s next match, a win over Lynn English by the slightest of margins in match play, 36.5-35.5, at Kelley Greens in Nahant.
“Kelley Greens’ extremely challenging pin positions and lightning fast greens posed a challenge for both teams in this match,” said Pezzuto. “The greens, being not well-protected by bunkers and/or water, rely on pin placement to challenge players to land approach shots in strategic locations, or they will be penalized by difficult recovery shots or rejection from the green itself.
“The coaching staff observed on numerous occasions 8-10 foot downhill putts settling off the putting surface,” continued Pezzuto. “Our team’s ball-striking was excellent and much improved over the last 3-4 weeks, but this match came down to on and around the greens.”
Some highlights from the match include #1 Chris MacDonald winning, 5.5-3.5; #3 Matt Lacroix edging his Bulldog counterpart; 5-4; #4 freshman Jacob Simonelli tying his English opponent, 4.5-4.5; #6 freshman Tommy Cronin winning his match, 6-3; and senior Captain Ryan Coggswell battling to the very end to tie his match, 4.5-4.5.
RHS Field Hockey Defeats Northeast
The Revere High field hockey team earned a 12-1 victory over Northeast Regional this past Saturday. The Patriot goals were scored by Matt Terrell, Danni Randall, Isabella Mendieta, and Gemma Stamatopoulos (with assists by Bella Stamatopoulos and Jullia Martins).
“Our team came together and played hard all four quarters,” said RHS head coach Alexandra Butler.
Earlier in the week, Butler and her crew made the short trip to Greater Boston League rival Everett, and though the Patriots came up on the short end of a 2-0 decision to the Crimson Tide, Butler was pleased with her team’s grit and determination.
“The game posed many unique challenges, many of which were out of our team’s control,” said Butler. “But our team faced them with grit and poise, though ultimately it did not result in a win on the scoreboard. However, the sportsmanship our team displays on and off the field is always something we are proud of.”
Another Victory for Girls Cross Country
The Revere High girls cross country team added to its win total with a triumph over Everett last Wednesday, taking five of the top seven spots in the race. Lady Patriot Olivia Rupp led the race from the start. Hiba El Bzyouy and Daniela Santana Baez both ran personal best paces.
“Hiba has been a great addition to the team, and has bettered her race pace in every race this season,” said RHS head coach Katie Sinnott. “This is a great accomplishment. It is also fantastic to have a strong group of runners so that when one runner is not having the greatest race day, the rest of the team steps up and pushes through.”
Revere is set to host Malden today (Wednesday) in its last home meet of the season. “I expect the Malden race to be competitive and for the team to continue its path of improvement,” said Sinnott. The Lady Patriots will make the short trek down Broadway to Admiral’s Hill in Chelsea next Wednesday.
Overall results:
Revere 15, Everett 50
Individual results:
Olivia Rupp – 1st overall – 23:17
Hib El Bzyouy – 2nd overall – 23:43
Rocio Gonzalez Castillo – 3rd overall – 24:29
Daniela Santana Baez – 4th overall – 25:10
Yasmin Riazi – 6th overall – 27:01
Stephanie Reyes – 8th overall – 31:11
Anahis Vasquez – 9th overall – 36:56
Boys Cross Country Edged by Everett
The Revere High boys cross country team came oh-so-close to capturing their first victory of the season, but came up just short by the narrowest of margins, 28-30, in their meet last week with Everett.
“It was a very exciting, competitive and close race,” said RHS head coach Mike Flynn.
The Patriots took the first two places thanks to the performances of Youness Chachid, who won the race comfortably with a time of 18:10, and Adam Assour, who ran a strong race and came in second with a time of 18:44.
Zaraius Bilimoria ran well and finished fifth with a clocking of 19:46, followed by teammates Vincent Phan, who ran a strong race and came in 11th with a time of 23:40, and Nick Barry, who ran his first race of the season and did very well, finishing in 13th place with a time of 25:11.
Flynn and his crew were scheduled to host Malden today (Wednesday) and will make the short trip down Broadway next Wednesday to Chelsea.
