CHS Football Team Hosts Malden This Friday Evening at 6:00
The Chelsea High football team will be seeking to break into the win column when coach Michael Jackson and his crew host Greater Boston League rival Malden for a Friday Night Lights battle tomorrow evening at Chelsea Stadium.
The opening kickoff for the encounter between the Red Devils and the Golden Tornadoes is set for 6:00.
Two Shutout Wins for Boys Soccer Team
The Chelsea High boys soccer team earned a pair of impressive shutout victories this past week in contests with Greater Boston League foes Everett and Lynn English.
Coach Mick Milutinovic’s Red Devils hosted Everett last Thursday afternoon and took the measure of their archrivals by a score of 5-0.
Milutinovic was forced to make some adjustment to his starting lineup because of injuries, moving captain Jose “Smiley” Melendez from left defender to center attacking midfield, a switch that would prove to be crucial to the CHS victory.
The Red Devils set the tone early in the match when captain Jefferson Ruiz played a lobbed through-ball to freshman Jose Joj on the right. Jose dribbled past an Everett defender and returned the ball to Jefferson on the ground, who delivered a one-time strike that beat the Everett keeper for a 1-0 Chelsea lead.
Chelsea made it 2-0 15 minutes later when the Red Devils had a throw-in from the left. The ball found its way to Melendez’s feet, allowing him to dribble to the edge of the box, from where “Smiley” delivered a clean strike that beat the Everett keeper to the near post.
With 10 minutes left in the first half, Melendez was back at work, picking up the ball from the center of the pitch and dribbling 30 yards upfield. Smiley found himself with space outside the box and delivered a powerful shot across goal and into the back of the Everett net to make it 3-0.
Shortly after that, an Everett player received a red card, which left the Crimson Tide a man down for the rest of the game.
The Red Devils wasted no time in taking advantage of the situation, adding another goal before the intermission. With the half-time whistle coming at any moment, defender Arquimidis Barrero cleared the ball long, where it bounced in front of Melendez. Smiley then struck the ball with the outside of his foot on the half volley, chipping the ball over the Everett keeper, who was off his line, to complete his first-half hat trick of three goals in 20 minutes .
The second half proved much less action-packed as the Red Devils were able to control the game with an extra man on the field. To cap off the victory, Ruiz was fouled in the box and was awarded a penalty kick. Jefferson calmly stepped up to the penalty spot and delivered the ball to the keeper’s left for the successful PK to account for the final score of 5-0.
Milutinovic’s crew then made it two straight shutout wins with a 2-0 blanking at Lynn English this past Tuesday.
The contest was a stalemate for most of the first half. Chelsea keeper Daylin Yanes made two big saves early on to maintain the game at nil-nil.
“Daylin’s presence in goal gave our back line confidence all game,” noted CHS assistant coach William Estrada.
Toward the end of the first half, Red Devil Christian Palacios played a long ball into the box after beating his man in the middle of the field. The ball bounced awkwardly for midfielder Wander De Pina, who was able to make something out of nothing when he tipped the ball with his head over the head of the English keeper and then sprinted past the keeper, giving Wander an open net to score the first goal of the game.
The second half proved to be a repeat of the first, with neither team able to assert control. However, Chelsea took advantage of a corner kick opportunity to add an insurance goal.
After seeing an open space by the near post, Kevin Garcia played the ball on the ground for Ruiz, who was able to one-time the ball with the outside of his foot for his fourth goal of the season to make it 2-0.
Milutinovic and his crew, who stand at 2-1-1 on the season, will make the short trip northward up Broadway for another rivalry game against Revere today (Thursday) and will host Medford at 11:30 this Saturday morning at Chelsea Stadium. They will entertain Malden next Wednesday afternoon.
CHS Volleyball Team Defeats Somerville, Everett
The Chelsea High volleyball team defeated a pair of Greater Boston League rivals, Somerville and Everett, this past week.
Last Monday the Lady Red Devils defeated Somerville, 3-1. Among the chief highlights for Chelsea were: Jasmine Varela played an overall strong game, serving six aces, delivering five kills, and making six digs; Guidaysis Castro Santiago added four aces and 13 digs; and Yareliz Gonzalez Falcon delivered five aces.
Two days later, the Lady Red Devils blanked Everett, 3-0. The top individual performances for Chelsea came from Jasmine Varela, who served seven aces; Rileigh Connors who had 11 assists and four aces; Tatiana Sanabria Herrera, who had nine kills and four aces with five digs; and Guidaysis Castro Santiago, who served five aces and accounted for 11 digs.
The Red Devils then went up against an undefeated Malden squad on Friday and came up short by a score of 3-1.
A number of Lady Red Devils turned in outstanding performances. Libero Guidaysis Castro Santiago had 15 digs. Tatiana Sanabria Herrera added 10 digs, five aces, and four kills. Jasmine Varela had three aces, eight kills, and 10 digs. Setter Rileigh Connors earned 14 assists.
This past Monday Chelsea fell to Revere, the other undefeated team in the GBL, by a score of 3-0.
“Unfortunately, I lost half my starters, who were out sick, for the match against Revere,” noted CHS head coach Gabriel Morales. “Despite that, our Libero, Guidaysis Castro Santiago, had 16 digs for the game.”
Morales and his crew, who now are 3-2 in the GBL (3-3 overall), were scheduled to play at Medford yesterday (Wednesday) and will trek to Lynn English next Wednesday.
CHS Girls Soccer Falls Just Short in 1–0 Loss to English
Although the Chelsea High girls soccer team has yet to break into the win column, the Lady Red Devils have been working hard and improving as the season progresses.
After coach Randy Grajal’s squad fell to Greater Boston League rivals Somerville (8-0) and Everett (6-1) last week, the Lady Red Devils fought valiantly in their battle with Lynn English this past Tuesday in which the Lady Red Devils fell by the slim margin of 1-0.
In the Everett match, sophomore Yoselin Acosta reached the back of the Crimson Tide net to account for the CHS goal.
“The team has had a slow start,” said Grajal. “But the group has been working hard.”
The coach noted the fine play and leadership of senior Ashley Navarro.
“I am very pleased with the performance by Ashley, who has been a centerpiece of the team,” said Grajal. “She demonstrates leadership on the field and she pushes the other players on the team to do better.
“A new week is underway and I hope to continue improving on the positive things we have seen so far,” Grajal added.
Grajal and his crew are scheduled to host GBL foe Revere today (Thursday). They will trek to Medford Saturday morning and to Malden next Wednesday.