Boys soccer falls just short of tourney
The Chelsea High boys soccer team fell one goal short of qualifying for the post-season state tournament with a 3-2 loss to Boston International High School last week.
The Red Devils entered the contest with an 8-8 record and had been ranked #31 in the MIAA Division 2 state soccer ratings. A team needs either a .500 record or a ranking in the top 32 in order to qualify for the tourney.
Chelsea took a 2-1 lead into halftime thanks to an own goal by BI when a Lion defender sent an awkward pass back that went over the head of his keeper. That tied the score at 1-1 and the Red Devils took the lead when Esteban Calderon put home a rebound of a shot by Ryan Orellana that had hit the crossbar.
However, the Lions, who finished the season with a 13-2-3 record and were the #1 ranked team in Division 5, scored two goals within two minutes in the second half to claim the win.
The loss left Chelsea with a final record of 8-9 (a tie would have given the Devils an 8-8-1 record and qualified them for the tourney) and dropped the Red Devils to #33 in the final Division 2 rankings.
Girls volleyball fights hard in tourney loss
The Chelsea High girls volleyball team put up a good battle in its Division 2 state tournament battle with Woburn last Friday, but ultimately fell short by a 3-1 decision. The Lady Red Devils entered the tourney with an 11-9 record and were seeded 38th in D-2. Wobun was ranked 27th with a record of 10-12. Despite the outcome, CHS head coach Gloria Rodriguez was pleased with her team’s effort. “Although we lost to Woburn, we were able to take a set,” said Rodriguez.”These girls fought very hard and I’m extremely proud of their performance.”
Some of the highlights for the Lady Red Devils included: — Anais Artica led the the way on offense with six kills and on defense with six digs; — Hazel Martinez added four kills; — Ashley Martinez provided eight assists to her teammates; — Elisabet Alarcon contributed four digs; and — Victoria Barriga made three 3 blocks.