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By Joe McConnell
Coach Dom Persuitte’s Everett High School girls soccer team wrapped up the regular season with a 6-10-2 record and was the 45th seed in the final Division 1 power rankings. Persuitte will always remember this year’s squad, because of the seniors on it, who came in at the same time that he took over the program as its varsity head coach.
“Each year brings its own challenges and highlights, but this one just hits a little harder for me, because of the seniors on the roster – Kathleen (DeSouza), Gisele (Erazo), Gabriella (Lones Rivera), Emelly (DeJesus), Gabriella (Menjivar) and captains Casey (Martinez) and Luna (Sepulveda) – who will always hold a special place in my heart. They were all freshmen when I took over the program four years ago, and because of that I will truly miss this class of athletes,” said Persuitte in front of the varsity and JV players and their families during the annual team banquet at Anthony’s in Malden last month.
“I’ve had the privilege of watching (the seniors) grow up in front of me as athletes, teammates and more importantly (young adults) to become confident leaders both on and off the (pitch),” he added. “But to be honest, they were the ones that helped shape this program, and me as a coach.”
Persuitte specifically singled out the captains, and their immense contributions to the program. He told Luna and Casey in front of everybody at the banquet, “thank you for accepting this role,” while adding, “I know it’s not easy dealing with me, but both of you really did a tremendous job. You both (perfectly) define what captains are supposed to be – leaders of a team. You both are excellent leaders, team organizers and motivators, and filling your shoes next year will be tough.”
Tide all-star tandem
Junior captain Sofia Arana-Quintanilla and Martinez made the 2025 Greater Boston League (GBL) all-star team. “Both players were chosen, because they are exactly what all-stars should be all about. They both have solid work ethics, and (differing) skills and leadership (abilities) to be captains, while also being very competitive at the same time,” said Persuitte.
On Arana-Quintanilla, Persuitte offered these thoughts: “she has the raw natural talent to read the play and execute what needs to be done. Although she is not the most vocal, her presence on the field is a calming (influence). The entire team knows that she can play any position to help them out. She is selfless and wants to win all the time. This year, Sofia was our leading goal scorer and penalty kick taker.”
Arana-Quintanilla will be back next year to lead the Tide once more on the pitch, hoping to get her teammates to the postseason.
On Martinez, the coach said of the senior captain: “she is the definition of a true leader and competitor. She started and played every single minute of every game throughout her four-year high school career with passion and pure determination. She is once again a part of this senior class that came in when I took over the program, and it is bittersweet to see her (go). But with that said, she is still leaving a long-lasting impression on the program. She showed all of her teammates what being competitive truly means on this level.”
