boys soccer.htm

Miguel Castro capped off an impressive sophomore campaign for Classical's boys soccer team by scoring both goals for the NEC North all-star squad in a 2-0 win over the South. Both of Castro's goals came in the second half.
"All the goalies played well," said Peabody (and North) coach Stan McKeen. "Everyone played well. We had three (goalies). The South had four."
Castro's effort came after he recorded his 31st goal in a1-1 tie against the crosstown rivals at English. Castro also had 10 assists this season, making him the top scorer in all of eastern Massachusetts.
"This is an absolutely amazing accomplishment for a sophomore," Rams coach Joe Skahan said.

LYNN -- It is wonderful to be a sports fan in Boston. The Patriots are undefeated, the Red Sox are going for the World Series title and the Boston College Eagles are still trying to figure out how they pulled out that win in Virginia in that driving rainstorm. At Manning Field, the same feeling was going through the Classical and English boys soccer teams. They were finishing a season that started in the hot summer days of August and was ending in the rains of late October. There would be no league title or even a trip to the state tourney as neither team qualified. Their biggest game of the year would be Saturday morning in Lynn and they were playing for pride and the knowledge that they were the best team in the city. Perhaps appropriately, the result was a 1-1 tie.

The Bulldogs are led by Kerry King. They had an overall record of 4-11-2. The Rams, led by Joe Skahan, had a 4-8-5 record in his rookie year. Both coaches had their teams ready to play. The only problem was the weather. The rain put a damper on the speed and cutting abilities of both teams. Many games in the North Shore area were cancelled. King said, "The field is perfect despite the amount of rain. We are ready to play."

Skahan agreed. "This is the most important game of the year and the rain won't stop our style of play," he said.

The game started at a slow pace with each team getting used to each other as well as the turf. Classical struck first. In the 21st minute, Carlos Cifuentes, a junior midfielder with exceptional speed, shook off an English defender at midfield and fed a through pass to sophomore striker Miguel Castro, who came clear at the top of the area and beat English keeper Eric Hamlin as he came off his line to make a play on Castro. This was Castro's 31st goal of the season to go along with 10 assists. This makes him tops in the city. The half ended without any further scoring.

In the second half, English finally got untracked. With All-League Mubarak Nyang leading the attack and Alex Alvarez shutting down the Classical attacks, the Bulldogs came to life. In the 58th minute, co-captain Ulisis Guevara carried the ball down the right wing and crossed it to an unmarked Jesus Maldonado, who was in the arc and beat the Classical keeper to the low right side. This tied the game at 1-1.

The next twenty minutes were played between the penalty areas. With two minutes to go, Bulldog keeper Hamlin made the biggest save of the game. Castro, Classical's top scorer, carried the ball into the top right corner of the area, and as an English defender closed in on him, he let go a rocket destined for the top right corner. Hamlin managed to get one hand on the shot and deflect it high enough that it hit the crossbar and bounced harmlessly over the sideline. The game and the season ended two minutes later with a 1-1 tie. English finished up at 4-11-3 and Classical at 4-8-6.

King, the English coach, said, "We had too many offsides and the wet field changed the speed of the ball. But all in all it was a good game." When asked about next year, he said, "We have seven returning starters, so we will have something to build on."

Skahan was very happy with his team's performance. "We did very well," he said. "I am looking forward to next year with eight starters coming back."

The league all-star game was played Sunday evening at Manning Field. Representing Classical at the game were Castro and Cifuentes and representing English were Nyang, Alvarez and Nelson Manuelo.

Peabody 6, Classical 1

At Manning Field, the Tanners' (15-1, 14-1 Northeastern Conference) Jared Rizzo had two goals and an assist and Josh Boyce, Matt Quadros and Jordan Hoofnagle each had a goal and an assist. Mike Pennachio had a goal. Brian Fleming and Justin Famiglietti split the game in net.

"We had plenty of chances and just couldn't find the net," Classical coach Joe Skahan said.

The Rams (4-6-5) had a penalty kick of their own but rang the shot off the crossbar.

At Della Russo Stadium in Revere, the Patriots (6-8-1) got goals from Max Ochoa and Luis DaCunha to hold off the tough Rams.
Ashley Barrios and Joe Spofford had one assist each while goalkeeper Alfonso Rosales turned aside a Classical penalty kick that would have tied the game.

Miguel Castro wasn't able to top the numbers he put up against Winthrop earlier in the week (5 goals and 2 assists), but he came darn close, scoring all four goals for Classical Thursday in a 4-4 tie against Gloucester at Manning Field.

Although a little disappointed to see the win slip away in the final two minutes, Classical coach Joe Skahan was very happy with the way his team played against one of the tougher teams in the Northeastern Conference.

"We haven't beaten or even tied Gloucester in years," Skahan said.

Things didn't start out well for the Rams, who trailed 3-1 at the half. Gloucester would have been wise to consider Castro's first goal a warning shot and take cover. The sophomore buried a free kick from 35 yards out in the top right corner.

"Everyone's jaw hit the ground on that one," Skahan said.

Classical (4-3-4, 2-3-4 Northeastern Conference) hasn't had much success against Gloucester in recent years, but the Fishermen were in for a surprise this time around.

"I think they came in thinking, 'We beat this team every year,' but we worked our butts off. They were extremely frustrated by their play. They broke down, made mistakes, and we capitalized on them," Skahan said.

Castro, who has 26 goals and nine assists so far this year, put the Rams back in the game with two quick goals within the first 10 minutes of the second half. Castro scored the go-ahead goal midway through the half and hung on until Gloucester beat Classical keeper Marc Moise with under two minutes remaining.

"He played unreal," Skahan said about Moise, adding that he made several diving saves and did a great job clearing the ball out on corner kicks and throw-ins.

When the Classical boys soccer team puts all the pieces to the puzzle together, its a beautiful thing to behold. On Tuesday at Miller Field, the Rams had it in high gear.

Miguel Castro was a man possessed as he scored five times and assisted on three other goals in an 8-1 Rams win that moved Classical's record to 4-3-3.

In just 10 games, Castro has racked up 22 goals and nine assists for 53 points.

"He's unreal," Classical coach Joe Skahan said. "We played like a team (Tuesday). All I can say is that it went swimmingly."

The Rams were in a fight for a half, leading only 3-1. Castro changed all that though as he scored three times in the first 10 minutes of the second half to put the game away.

Carlos DeOliveira had two goals and Mark Moise added one on a penalty kick.

"We moved the ball well around the field and won all the balls we needed to win," Skahan said. "I was excited with how we played."

Miguel Castro scored with just under two minutes remaining to give the Classical High boys soccer team a 4-3 win over Saugus Wednesday at Anna Parker Field.

The Rams jumped out to a 3-0 lead at the half, only to see Saugus climb right back in the game on goals by Lamin Sawo, Carmen Bordenaro and Tom Duplisea, who tied the game with about four minutes remaining. Castro and Carlos Cifuentes each had two goals with Castro also collecting two assists.

"Those two work very well together," Classical coach Joe Skahan said. "They don't give up regardless of what happens out there ... this was our first conference win and that's important. We came out strong."

Saugus coach Chris Coviello was pleased with the play of defender Nick Sampson and his captains, John Friend at midfield and Corey Rutledge at sweeper.

"It was a great game. We played really well in the second half, but we had trouble in the first half," Coviello said. "We expended so much energy getting back into the game. It is what it is."

Saugus is 1-4-1 and Classical is 3-2-3 overall

LYNN -- In the second game of a doubleheader, the Classical and English boys played to a 2-2 tie. This was the second meeting of the Bulldogs and the Rams this year. They met in the finals of the City Tourney with Classical winning 4-1. The Bulldogs came into the game with a 1-4 (0-3 NEC) record. Coach Kerry King was looking forward to notching his first league win of the season. Ram Coach Joe Skahan brought a record 0f 2-2-3(0-2-3 NEC) into the game. He was also looking for his first league win.

The game was less than 1 minute old when co-captain Ulisis Guevara fed Gabe Smith a crossing pass and he pushed it by keeper Marc Moise to make the score English 1, Classical 0. Both teams displayed outstanding skills. As they went up and down the field the hitting was fierce. At the 32-minute mark, Ezequiel Rodriques picked up the ball on his side of midfield and dribbled his way through and past four Classical defenders. He broke free of the Ram players as he entered the top right corner of the area and blasted a low shot about a foot off the ground into the left corner. This pushed the score to English 2, Classical 0. The score should have been tied but for the outstanding work of keeper Eric Hamlin in the English net. The half ended with the score English 2, Classical 0.

The second half opened with the same display of foot skills by both teams, Classical seemed a bit more determined and started pushing at the English defenders. It paid off in the 58th minute when Miguel Castro was sent in off a dead ball kick by Carlos Cifuentes. Castro beat the defender to the ball and had Hamlin at his mercy and put it under the diving keeper to narrow the score to 2-1.

In the 70th minute, English had a chance to put the Rams away when a penalty shot was called. An English player was taken down and a yellow card issued to a Ram defender. The shot was taken by Alex Alvarez, who had the keeper going the wrong way, and his shot slid by the outside of the left post.

In the 76th minute, Classical tied up the game. Castro intercepted a clearing pass, dribbled 30 yards through three English defenders, and beat the English keeper to the low left side. That was Castro's second goal of the night and his 13th goal in 7 games so far this season. The game finished and the final score was English 2, Classical 2.

King was not happy with some of the calls in the game. He said, "I thought we had the better of the play. They came on strong late and we could not hold them."

English plays Wednesday at Marblehead.

Skahan said, "We started off slow and got up to speed in the second half. Miguel Castro has 13 goals and 5 assists in 7 games."

Classical plays next Wednesday at Saugus.

Dominic Mondi had the other Peabody goal with Brian Fleming and Justin Famiglietti splitting the win in goal.

"It was a good win. We controlled the game," Peabody coach Stan McKeen said.

Classical defender Christian Lopez attempts a scissor-kick over Salem Tuesday at Manning Field. The Witches won the game, 5-4. (ITEM PHOTO / REBA M. SALDANHA)

LYNN -- The Lynn Classical boys opened the first game of a tripleheader at Manning Field playing host to the Salem Witches on Tuesday. Salem won 5-4. The game had an added twist as cousins were facing each other as head coaches.

Mike D'Agostino led the Salem team with a record of 2-2 (1-1 NEC). The Witches lost to Peabody in the NEC and North Andover in a non-league game.

D'Agostino said, "We are starting to jell in the midfield and the defenders have been getting better every game."

Joe Skahan, the first-year Classical coach, played at Classical from 1996 to 2000 for Norris Gibson. He said, "I have patterned my drill and tactics after what Coach Gibson taught us." Last year, he was the Classical JV coach and moved up when coach Ken Norris could not continue as coach due to work conflicts. Classical has a 2-1-2 (0-1-2 NEC) record, having won the City Tourney and tied its first two league games.

Coach Skahan praised his two strikers, Miguel Castro and Carlos Cifuentes. "Miguel is our top scorer with 8 goals and 5 assists in 4 games," Skahan said. "Carlos makes our team go. By controlling midfield, he set up everyone else."

The game was less than two minutes old when Salem struck. Max Mondestin carried the ball into the left corner of the area and fed the ball across to Martin Amin, who put the ball under diving Ram keeper Marc Moise. Seven minutes later, Salem upped the score to 2-0 on a corner kick by co-captain Alejandro Alvarez right to the head of Amin, who nodded the ball to the top short side corner. This was Amin's second goal in 9 minutes.

On Classical's next rush at the Salem goal, Castro was taken down in the area and Classical was awarded a penalty shot. He took the PK and buried the ball in the low left corner; the score was now Salem 2, Classical 1. In the 17th minute, Salem midfielders combined on a give and go through midfield and centered the ball through the area about 10 yards out from the keeper. Mike Steeves deflected the ball into the short side corner for Salem's third goal with Edwin Demoya and Nuur Mahamed picking up the assists. Four minutes later, at the 21st minute, Salem struck again. Mondestin, probably the fastest player on the Salem team, dribbled through three defenders, went left, and buried a left-footed shot in the low right corner of the net. Halfway through the first half, the score was Salem 4, Classical 1. In the 26th minute, Amin scored the hat trick, registering his third goal of the half. Steeves put a through ball between two defenders and Amin beat them to the ball, took one dribble, and rocketed the ball into the left side of the net. This made the score Salem 5, Classical 1. One minute later, Salem keeper Mike Collins, who had been a force in the net, received a yellow card on a Classical corner kick. He had to leave the game for at least one play. D'Agostino kept him out of the game for 43 minutes. He returned with 10 minutes to go in the game. He was replaced by Jon Hammond. The half went to full time without any more damage by either team.

The second half started as the first finished, with both teams making attacks into the other's areas only to have the defenses and clear the ball back to midfield. In the next eighteen minutes, from the 53rd to the 71st minutes, Classical struck for 3 goals to make the score Salem 5, Classical 4. At the 51st minute, Cifuentes broke in on the right wing and the keeper came off the line and challenged him. His shot was about to be cleared by a defender when Rafael Rosa deflected it past the defender into the net. In the 59th minute, Castro beat the defender to a clearing pass and put it by the keeper from the top of the area. This made the score Salem 5, Classical 3. In the 71st minute, Castro scored his third goal of the game. Coming down the right wing, when he reached the top of the area, he fired a bullet over the keeper's head into the net. D'Agostino then put Collins back into the game and he defused any more attacks.

D'Agostino, after the game, noted, "Our front lines are doing very well for the time of the year. Our backs are getting better every day."

Skahan was disappointed by the loss but was very pleased with the comeback. "We never gave up and played out the game," he said. "We hustled to the very end."

Things weren't looking too good for the Classical boys soccer team at halftime against Beverly Thursday.

The Panthers had dominated the first 40 minutes and held a 3-0 lead. But first-year coach Joe Skahan rallied his troops in the intermission Classical's respond to the pep talk.

Jackson Olivera, Juan DeLeon and Miguel Castro all scored second half goals as the Rams stonewalled Beverly's potent attack, leaving with a 3-3 tie with one of the Northeastern Conference's top programs.

"To comeback from 3-0 down against that team is great," Skahan said. "The kids worked so hard and played so well in the second half. To get a point over Beverly is fantastic."

The Rams might have gotten both points from the game but a penalty kick inside the final minute was thwarted by the Panther netminder. Nonetheless, Skahan was happy to see his team circle the wagons and stay unbeaten at 2-0-2.

"We didn't play tough in the first half and we came out and took control in the second half. The kids are playing well and having fun," Skahan said.

LYNN -- In the first of three games that cross-town rivals Classical and English will play against each other, Classical eked out a 4-1 win for new coach Joe Skahan.

Classical jumped off to a 1-0 lead in the 11th minute when Miguel Castro beat English keeper Eric Hamlin off the right wing. Castro stole an outlet pass and beat the keeper from the top right corner of the area. At the 20-minute mark, English tied the game, 1-1. Gabe Smith fed Ulisis Guevara down the left wing. He hit a shot with the outside of his right foot that curved into the far top right-hand corner of the net.

In the 24th minute, Classical was awarded a penalty shot when a Ram striker was taken down in the area. Carlos Cifuentes calmly stepped up and drilled the ball into the top right corner, and the Bulldog keeper had no chance to make the save. The half ended with the score Classical 2, English 1.

Classical opened the second half on the same high with which it finished the first half. It was rewarded seven minutes later, when Cifuentes went left with the ball across the top of the area and reversed himself, and planted the ball in the top right corner that no one could get. The fourth and final goal of the game came in the 58th minute. Castro had a free kick from 40 yards out. His shot started out as if it was going over the crossbar. All of a sudden, it bent like a curve in baseball and caught the far top left corner of the net.

Because of the rain delay in the girls championship game of more than an hour, the lights at Manning Field went out at 10 p.m. There is no way to override the switch and restart them. Since there were only a couple of minutes to go, and Classical was leading 4-1, the referee stopped the game and awarded the win to Classical The final two tourney MVPs were Castro for Classical and Guevara for English.

LYNN -- The second game was a complete reversal of the first. After the injury to veteran Rams keeper Eric Silva, both Classical and Tech went with rookie inexperienced keepers that turned the game into a shooting contest. Classical won, 7-6, to advance to the final of the Lynn City Soccer Tournament, where it will face English (Saturday, 7 p.m.). Tech plays St. Mary's in the consolation.

The scoring started at the 6-minute mark with Steve Lavin beating Tech keeper Gerson Rodriguez from 10 yards out. The assist went to Carlos Cifuentes. The second goal came at the 11-minute mark when Classical's Miguel Castro scored with an assist to Joe Basher. That made the score Rams 2, Tech 0. Tech's Richard Jones-Alas cut the lead to 2-1 when Silva dropped a cross, and in the melee Silva was injured and did not return to the game. Jeremy Dorson replaced Silva in the net. At the 16-minute mark on a through ball from Castro, Marc Moise beat the Tech keeper low left to push the score to 3-1, Classical. Tech would not quit and a minute later, Jones-Alas scored his second with an assist to Prince Tchoumi. Classical opened up a two-goal lead with Rafael Rosa scoring with an assist to Castro. Classical opened up a 3-goal lead on an unassisted left-footed shot from the arc by Castro. With the clock running out and seconds to go to the end of the half, Tchoumi cut the lead to 5-3 with an assist to Goran Susa. The halftime score was Classical 5, Tech 3.

Five minutes into the second half, Classical hit again with Castro scoring with an assist to Cifuentes.

In the next 15 minutes, Tech controlled both ends of the field, scoring three times. In the 47th minute, Tchoumi scored with an assist to Aloysius Fonta, and four minutes later the same combination hit again. At the 61st minute, Tchoumi scored his 4th goal of the game -- also a natural hat trick, three consecutive goals. The game was now tied at 6-6. Both teams were exhausted after all the scoring. Classical, however, had one more attack left and scored the winner at the 77th minute on a cross from Rosa to Lavin, who headed it by the Tech keeper.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Norris Resigns Classical Boys Soccer Coaching Job From the Daily Item of Lynn, 2/28/07

Ken Norris has resigned the Lynn Classical boys soccer coaching job after 10 years at the helm.

Norris, a former monitor in the school, got a new job working with the Middlesex County sheriff's office. Last year, he tried to reconcile the dual demands of his work at the sheriff's office and coaching Classical. However, now, school athletic director Dick Ruth said, "He thought it would be best if he stepped down ... The schedule's not going to change."

Because of this, Norris informed Ruth of his decision in a letter two weeks ago. The job opening was posted yesterday.

"He certainly brought the program to a competitive level that it hadn't been before," Ruth said. "He was able to work very well with a tremendously diverse team. We have players from all over the world - Europe, Asia, Africa ... He was able to work well with all of them. That was a tremendous asset."

Ruth, who has been athletic director at Classical for 19 years, hired Norris a decade ago.

"He had great knowledge of the game," Ruth remembered. "His youth helped a lot. He worked right in the building. He brought a lot to the table. He taught the game well."

Although Norris did not attend Classical (indeed, he graduated from English), he will leave a significant void at the school.

"He's going to be sorely, sorely missed," Ruth said. "I was really hoping we would be able to work something out ... He did a great job. I'm really going to miss him a lot

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------