RHS girls’ soccer captains reflect on a nearly undefeated season

By Dom Nicastro

The Revere High School girls’ soccer team finished the regular season at 16-1-1 and in second place in the Greater Boston League. They dominated in the regular season at times and fell just shy of a GBL title with a loss to Somerville in the final regular season game. The Patriots fell to St. Mary’s in the opening round of the Division 3 state tournament.

The Advocate caught up with the captains of the team after the terrific season.

Samarah Paiva: Desire to achieve the best

Samarah Paiva played midfield and a defense for the Patriots. She has been playing soccer since she was 5 years old and has been on the Revere High School girls varsity soccer team since her freshmen year. She also plays club soccer.

The three-time GBL All-Star is also a two-time captain. After high school, she will be going to school to either major in sports management or interior design, and playing soccer in college is still in process, she said.

“The message I sent to the team at the beginning of the season was to work hard, have commitment, play together as a team and just do your overall best,” Paiva said. “What led us to so many wins this season was playing together as a team and wanting to go undefeated and win GBL. Every player gave their all until the last whistle was blown.”

Paiva said the biggest team win was Lynn Classical, the second match.

“The match was tied up 0-0 and in the second half, and we pushed through and got a goal which led us to a win,” Paiva said. “We didn’t give up and continued to fight ‘til the end.”

Paiva said Coach Megan O’Donnell always kept the team on its toes and pushed players to succeed and never let them down.

“Coach can be tough, but it’s what helps us really push through,” Paiva said. “My message to the team to keep this program momentum going is to work hard and train whenever the chance is given.”

Giselle Salvador: Always striving to be better

Giselle Salvador, a right back, has played soccer since she was 8 and had been playing on varsity for all four years. She’s planning on going to college to study health sciences and she’s undecided about whether she’s going to play in college.

“The message we’ve sent the team since the beginning was to play as if it was our last game and put our all into it, Salvador said. “As well as working together to reach our goal. Some consistent parts of the team that led to the results that we had was having the motivation to keep the undefeated title and urge to win.”

She calls a 4-0 decision over Medford as the biggest team win. “I feel like that’s the game where we played the best and had really good goals and opportunities/plays as well,” Salvador said.”

Coach O’Donnell since the beginning had set the mindset for the team to stay tough and dig deep to play its best even after long days of school.

“I liked how she and Coach (Arianna) Rivera always believed in us and never failed to show us that they did, making us play even better than the last game,” Salvador said. “A message to keep the program momentum going is to keep that team togetherness we were able to build up. As well as encourage others to join the program and push each other to strive to be better.”

Jessica Nova: Energy and positive vibes pave the way

Left wing Jessica Nova was a latecomer to soccer. She started playing soccer her sophomore year of high school. Athletically, she will be keeping herself in good shape working out. Academically, she will pursue owning her own business someday.

“I had always wanted to be a captain, and this was the year I was chosen to become one which I was very grateful for,” Nova said. “My dedication throughout the years leveled me up from playing JV to varsity and starting varsity as a captain.”

At the beginning of the season Nova’s message to the team was to create a positive environment and relationships to help connect and play hard in games.

“Having each other’s backs was a key in winning matches,” Nova said. “If our teammate was beat, our other teammates were there to help and work harder.”

She also calls the Lynn Classical win the biggest. “In my high school years of playing they were a tough team which we never seemed to win,” Nova said. “However this year, we beat them twice which showed our program was succeeding.”

Coach O’Donnell’s teaching was great as a form of tough love, according to Nova. “She was always real with us and told us when we could’ve played better and motivated us to look for our personal dedication in matches,” Nova said. “This is what led to great plays and winning games. The message to the team I would say is play together and remember the fun in games. Keep the good energy and motivate each other to work hard.”

Ari Pina: Be determined to keep program momentum going

Center back Ari Pina has been playing soccer since she was 7 and on the Revere varsity team since her freshman year. She has been a GBL All-Star three years in a row and was awarded the MIAA women’s athletics award. After high school, she will be going to school for a major in criminal justice and possibly will continue playing soccer in college.

“The message I have been sending the team since the beginning of the year was to play hard and win, but also have fun,” Pina said. “I think what led us to so many wins this season was our determination to make it to the GBL championship. I think our biggest team win was when we played Medford for the second time in the season when we were tied 0-0 up until the last 15 minutes of the game. We pulled together played as a team, fought hard and won, 1-0.”

Coach O’Donnell coached the Patriots with a stern tone to keep the team all on its toes, according to Pina.

“But this is what led us to such an amazing season,” she said. “I liked her style of coaching because it always pushed us to play hard. My message to the team to keep the momentum going in the program is to get as many girls to try out and play and keep playing with the determination.”