CHS football team hoss Hamilton-Wenham
tomorrow night a 6:00
The Chelsea High football team play its first home game of the season when coach David Roque and his Red Devils host Hamilton-Wenham tomorrow evening. The opening kickoff for the Friday Night Lights encounter is set for 6:00.
Chelsea will be looking to break into the win column after coming up short in its first two contests at Lowell Catholic and Waltham.
The Red Devils will host Revere next Friday evening (October 2).
CHS boys soccer thumps Everett, 5-1
The Chelsea High boys soccer team broke into the victory column with a 5-1 triumph over Greater Boston League (GBL) rival Everett last Tuesday.
After a scoreless first half — in which an apparent goal by Red Devil Donovan Ramirez was disallowed by the ref — Everett grabbed a 1-0 lead shortly after the intermission.
“After a loss and a tie in our first two games, this was not the start that we wanted,” said CHS assistant coach Will Estrada. “We gave the ball up in our half and the Everett player who recovered it shot the ball from outside the box and scored.”
However, the Red Devils soon recovered and took control of the contest. Angel Umanzor’s deflected shot landed at the feet of Akanni Hernandez’s, who was unmarked, and Akanni tapped the ball into the net to bring Chelsea level.
Ten minutes later, Hanz Estrada’s clearance found Donovan Ramirez in the center circle, where he drove it up the length of the pitch and tucked the ball past the keeper to give Chelsea the lead. 2-1.
Just a few minutes later on a similar play, Ramirez was through on goal, but the last Everett defender fouled him just outside the penalty box, earning himself a red card, reducing the Crimson Tide down to 10 men.
Joao “Johnny” De Pina took the free kick, which went over the keeper’s head, who did not react in time to save the shot to make it 3-1. The Red Devils then took full advantage of their man-advantage. A misplaced back pass by Everett found Erick Herrera on the left all alone. With his first touch, Erick squared the ball across the penalty box, finding Ryan Orellana, who tapped it in to make it a 4-1 game.
for Chelsea’s fourth goal of the game. When we thought the game was over, Herrera then applied the coup de grace, scoring the final goal of the game after receiving a pass in space from Luis Romero.
Two days later Chelsea hosted non-league foe Excel Academy, an opponent with whom the Red Devils always engage in a fierce battle. This year’s matchup proved to be no exception, as the teams fought to a 1-1 draw.
Excel moved out to an early 1-0 lead thanks to a couple of mistimed tackles by the Red Devils. However, just before the intermission, Herrera sent Josafath “Gallo” Gonzalez down the wing. Josafath carried the ball to the goal line and then cut it back to Ramirez, who took a touch before delivering the ball into the back of the net to bring the game back to level.
The teams batted fiercely in the second half, but neither proved able to dent the other’s goal. “This was a less ‘eventful’ game than the Everett match, but it was just as big as any other,” noted Estrada.
Coach Mick Milutinovic and his crew, who now stand at 1-1-2 on the season, were scheduled to entertain GBL foe Lynn English yesterday (Tuesday). They then will hit the road for three matches, traveling to GBL rival Malden today (Thursday), to non-league opponent Boston International tomorrow (Friday), and to GBL adversary Somerville next Tuesday.
CHS girls soccer defeats Everett, 4-2
The Chelsea High girls soccer team turned in a strong all-around performance to earn a 4-2 victory over Everett last Tuesday.
The Lady Red controlled the pace of the game from beginning to end en route to the big win. Chelsea got on the scoreboard early when senior Yahira Jovel found the back of the net after receiving a well-placed assist from senior defender Ashley Damas.
In the 28th minute, sophomore Edlyn Hernanndez Enriquez added another goal after receiving a pass from Yahira to give Chelsea a 2–0 advantage. Everett responded with a goal just before halftime, sending the teams into the break with Chelsea leading 2–1.
The Lady Red Devils came out strong in the second half, and Yahira quickly added her second goal of the game after a pass from Edlyn. Everett answered with another goal to make it a 3–2 game, but Chelsea continued to battle
With just minutes remaining, Yahira completed her hat trick after receiving an excellent pass from Kat Benitez and calmly finishing the opportunity to secure the 4–2 victory.
“Overall, we played a solid and disciplined game,” said CHS head coach Randy Grajal. “We controlled the tempo and did a good job managing Everett’s attacking opportunities throughout the match. The team showed strong teamwork, composure, and determination to earn an important victory.”
Last Thursday the Lady Red Devils traveled to Excel Academy and battled to a 2–2 draw in a competitive match.
Chelsea opened the scoring when Yahira found the back of the net after receiving a well-placed assist from Benitez. Yahira struck again later in the match following a corner kick, finishing from inside the box to give Chelsea both of its goals and her fifth in two games.
Excel Academy proved to be a strong opponent and continued to challenge Chelsea throughout the contest. The Devils created several opportunities of their own, but Excel continued to battle and eventually earned a penalty kick late in the match. They converted the opportunity to bring the game level at 2–2.
“Although the result was not what we had hoped for, the team continued to compete hard, and build toward becoming a stronger and more cohesive unit as the season progresses,” said Grajal.
The following day the Lady Red Devils dropped a 1-0 decision to Northeast Regional in a tightly-contested match. Northeast scored in the third minute following a corner kick, but Chelsea responded by battling hard for the remainder of the game.
“We controlled the pace of play and created numerous opportunities to equalize,” said Grajal. “But despite dominating possession and generating several chances, we were unable to find the back of the net before the final whistle. The loss was a tough reminder that controlling a game does not always translate into a victory.
“We will continue to focus on finishing our opportunities and making the most of our chances, especially in close matches where a single goal can make the difference. The team will take the lessons from this game and continue working hard to turn strong performances into results in the games ahead,” Grajal added.
Chelsea was scheduled to play at Lynn English this past Tuesday. Grajal and his crew, who are 1-1-2 on the season, will host Malden today (Thursday), Somerville next Tuesday, and Lynn English next Thursday.
Close race for CHS boys cross country
A shorthanded Chelsea High boys cross country came up just short by a score of 27-30 at Somerville last Wednesday.
Carlos Perez was the top finisher for the Red Devils, coming across the line in second place ina. time of 18:56. He was followed by Zakaria Moubtassim (4th, 19:14), Xavier Guzman (5th, 19:28), Jefriso Mercado (7th, 20:05).
“This would make for a strong top four, but our fifth runner finished 12th, getting displaced by two of the Somerville runners leading to the loss,” said CHS head coach Cesar Hernandz. “Sttil, this was the closest meet we’ve had with Somerville since we have reentered the GBL, and we also had many new PRs from both veteran and new runners. We were also down one of our top runners due to illness, so we are hoping we can come back stronger as the season progresses.”
On the girls side, Hazel Hatleberg finished second overall in a time of 24:28, an improvement from last week.
Hernandez and his crew were scheduled to run at Revere yesterday (Wednesday) and will host Everett next Wednesday.