Coach Mick Milutinovic’s Chelsea High boys soccer team continued to roll merrily along with a 4-1 victory over Lynn Tech Monday afternoon.
Senior Carlos Cruz was the scoring star for the Red Devils, reaching the back of the Tech net three times for a hat trick. Cruz scored the first goal of the game with an assist from junior Carlos Martinez. Senior captain Donne Agogo made it 2-0 before the half with an unassisted marker off a scramble in front of the Tech goal.
Cruz then made it 3-0 after the intermission, assisted by sophomore Wilfredo Alfaro-Castro. Although Tech got one back to make it a 3-1 affair, Cruz put an exclamation point on the CHS win with his third marker, assisted by senior Elvin Merino.
“Lynn Tech typically plays us very tough,” said CHS assistant coach Evan Protasowicki, noting that Tech had overcome a 3-0 deficit in the teams’ first meeting to earn a 3-3 tie. “So this was a big win for us against a division opponent.”
The coaches noted the fine play of the Red Devil defensive corps, which was solid throughout the contest in front of keeper Ever Barrera. “We graduated a lot of our defenders from last year,” said Protasowicki, “but one of the pleasant surprises has been the way that some of our new players, such as Joel Morales-Ventura, have stepped up.” Protasowicki also cited the leadership of captains Yanquiel DaSilva, Hugo Erazo, and Agogo as a key to the team’s success thus far in the 2010 campaign.
The victory over Tech keeps alive the Red Devils’ chances for a Commonwealth Athletic Conference Large Division championship. Chelsea stands at a lofty 7-1-2 on the season, but still trails archrival Northeast Regional Vocational School. The Devils are slated to meet the Golden Knights in the last game of the season next Thursday, October 28, in a contest which could decide the CAC Large School title. Chelsea and Northeast battled to a tie in their first meeting earlier in the season.
Last week Chelsea defeated its ancient archrival, Everett, a Division 1 team, 3-2. “This was a nice win for us because Everett is a Division 1 school and represents the caliber of the teams we’ll be facing in the state tournament,” said Protasowicki.
Prior to the big match at Northeast, the Red Devils still must get past Greater Lowell, whom Chelsea played yesterday (Wednesday), and Greater Lawrence, where the Devils will travel next Tuesday.