~ RHS Sports Round-Up ~ Revere/Malden golf nets first GBL crown in 42 years

The Revere/Malden golf program clinched its first Greater Boston League championship with a 44.5-27.5 win over Lynn Classical at Kelley Greens on Monday, Oct. 16. According to coach Brandon Pezzuto, it was the first time either program has won the GBL championship since 1981, over 42 years ago. The team finished 9-1-1.

“The coaching staff is very proud of how our team came together as a group and rallied behind a shared goal,” Pezzuto said. “It really is a testament to the leadership our group has. Additionally, this accomplishment is accredited to some of the recent graduates who were a part of the first few years of our co-op. They really helped us develop a positive culture grounded in respecting the game and learning and growing each opportunity we have to swing a golf club. A predominant number of our golfers come to our program with little to no golf experience. The hard work that all of our golfers have put in makes this accomplishment even sweeter.”

Some highlights from the match include No. 1 Chris MacDonald of Malden, who won, 5.5-3.5; No. 2 Frankie Annunziata of Revere won, 6.5-2.5; No. 3 Matt LaCroix of Revere tied his match, 4.5-4.5; No. 4 Jacob Simonelli of Revere won, 6.5-2.5; No. 5 Jonathan Wells of Revere won, 7.5-1.5; No. 7 Ryan Coggswell of Malden won, 5.5-3.5; and No. 8 Ollie Svendsen of Revere won, 6-3. “The coaching staff cannot say enough about the resilience of the group,” Pezzuto said.

“The start wasn’t our best, with six of eight starters losing the first hole, but our team just grinded and battled through the entire match,” Pezzuto said. “The mental toughness to continue to battle through adversity is what the coaching staff is most proud of. It really demonstrates our maturation throughout the season. As firm believers in the phase ‘sports imitate life,’ our coaching staff is most proud of our team’s resilience.”

The match before, the Revere/Malden golf team defeated Somerville at Mount Hood, 42-30. No. 2 Annunziata won his match, 5.6-3.5; No. 6 Bo Bogan of Malden, who stepped in last second for an injured Cronin, won his match, 6.5-2.5; senior captain Svendsen won his match, 6.5-2.5, and senior captain Coggswell won his match, 8-1.

“The coaches were extremely proud of the group and in particular Bo’s performance,” Pezzuto said. “He was able to step in seamlessly because of his diligence throughout the season. He has improved so much, and I am proud that his hard work is paying off. He is a great kid and adds such a value to our program.”

Additionally, during a team practice at Kelley Greens in Nahant, Malden junior Dante Federico had a noteworthy, once-in-a-lifetime accomplishment: He hit a hole-in-one – in front of his coaches and peers on the fourth hole – measuring approximately 145 yards. “It was the first time I’ve experienced this with any of my golfers in my nine years of coaching,” Pezzuto said. “It was incredible. Dante is a joy to be around and his teammates and coaches were so happy that it was him. Some of his teammates including Jonathan Wells mentioned to me that they were happy that it happened to Dante; he deserves it. A truly special day for Dante and our program.”

Revere girls soccer improves to 11-0-1

The Lady Patriots soccer team beat Lynn English, 3-1. Lynn English scored within the first three minutes of the game, and Revere struggled to get going in the first half. Catalina Chizavo scored the first goal, bringing the ball down the sideline and cutting it to the middle to Sandra Torres, who then took the ball to the corner of the box and put a hard shot on net. Kesley Morales was there and tapped it in.

“We came out the second half a much better team and scored five unanswered goals,” Revere coach Megan O’Donnell said.

The second goal was scored by Kaylin Oliva with an assist from Erika Mejia. Sandra Torres then scored on a free kick from the top of the box. Emily Torres crossed a corner kick to the top of the box where Kathy Granados tapped it in past the goalie. The last goal was scored by Samarah Paiva with an assist from Amilee Hernandez.

“We had some great chances by Kara Leal, Jaimy Gomez, Amina Baroudi and Giselle Portillo, Grace Martinez, Adrianna Cataldo, Amilee Hernandez, Emily Torres, and Salma Zahraoui,” O’Donnell said. “They got the ball moving and got many scoring opportunities in the second half.”

Revere then topped Everett, 3-1, on Senior Night. The Patriots honored their seniors: Catalina Chizavo, Karla Leal, Jaimy Gomez, Giselle Portillo, Jessica Galvez, Samarah Paiva, Giselle Salvador and Ari Pina.

“The game started off tough like always: Everett is a strong and well coached team so they knew how to play us,” O’Donnell said.

Pina scored 15 minutes into the game but was then called off due to offsides. Samarah Paiva moved up to midfield late in the first half, and Pina made a great defensive stop and moved the ball upfield and hit Paiva up the middle. She then ran downfield with a one-on-one with Everett’s goalie Emilia Babcock, whom she beat down and low.

In the second half Oliva scored a goal with an assist from Salvador, who beat the Everett goalie on a one-on-one and chipped it in over her shoulder. Nataly then scored the third and final goal with an assist by Pina late in the second half.

Seniors Leal, Gomez and Portillo all played a strong game along with the other seniors.

Revere field hockey falls to MC, Methuen

Revere field hockey lost, 9-1, to Malden Catholic. Matthew Terrell scored a goal in the second quarter for Revere. Revere field hockey also fell to Methuen, 4-0.

“Our team played hard all four quarters against a very skilled field hockey team,” Revere coach Alex Butler said. “Our goalie, Sonia Haily, had incredible saves throughout the game.”

Revere girls’ cross-country nets fourth win

The Revere girls’ cross-country team beat Malden, 16-43, improving to 4-1. Hiba El Bzyouy, Afnane Amine and Daniela Santana Baez all ran strong and bettered their personal record paces.

“Those three have made a tight pack, which makes our team stronger,” Revere coach Katie Sinnott said. “When these three runners finish a course within about a minute of each other it pushes the placement of the other team’s back, causing that team to score more points. Our competitors have had a hard time finishing between these three, which is what has been a game changer for us. It’s been really great to have them on the team.”

Rocio Gonzalez Castillo, on her last time running our home course, finished first and improved her race time from last week by nearly two minutes.

Overall results: Revere 16, Malden 43.

Individual results:

Rocio Gonzalez Castillo – 1^st – 22:44

Olivia Rupp – 2^nd – 23:08

Hiba El Bzyouy – 3^rd – 23:39

Afnane Amine – 4^th – 23:43

Daniela Santana Baez – 6^th – 24:52

Yasmin Riazi – 8^th – 27:07

Stephanie Reyes – 11^th – 29:58

Rania Abdelhannane – 13^th – 32:04

Revere boys’ soccer 1-1-1 in last three

The Revere boys’ soccer team topped Greater Boston League rival Lynn English, 4-1. Brayan Medina netted two unassisted goals, and Nicolas Morgira and Latrell Ashby added the others. JV Cunha and Eric DeCarvalho added helpers.

Francisco Navarette took a feed from Jeremy Romero for the only goal in Revere’s 2-1 loss to Somerville.

Ashby scored on an assist from Cunha in a 1-1 tie to Everett.