The First Annual Melrose Soccer Night

By Grace Donohue

This  Friday night, September 27th, Melrose will be hosting their first annual city-wide soccer night. Drawing inspiration from Belmont’s soccer night, Melrose Youth Soccer, working in collaboration with the boys’ and girls’ highschool programs, will be hosting a night of back-to-back competitive games, visits from New England Revolution representatives, and activities for Melrose’s many youth players. Each varsity team will be hosting Burlington on the Fred Green, boys at 6:00 pm  and the girls at 8:00 pm. Both teams are looking for a big win, one that hopefully will broaden their chances to make it to the post-season tournament that requires a record of 500 to qualify (which means a balanced number of wins and losses). Each team has 18 total games against 12 different opponents, playing the other small towns twice each and large towns once. The Middlesex League is one of the most competitive leagues in the state, including teams that regularly make it to the final round of playoffs. By clenching a win this Friday, both the girls’ and boys’  teams will be in a strong position to continue down a path towards victory. 

 The boys’ program is coming off of three seasons in a row of making the tournament, and chances this year are looking good. The girls team, on the other hand, is vying for a spot in the tournament, one that they haven’t been able to clench for the past 4 years. The girls program has not yet gotten the results that they wanted, but remain confident that their hard work will pay off. Senior captain Maggie Sullivan says, “This team is like no other, it is probably the hardest working team that has come through the Melrose girls soccer program.” She and her fellow teammates are excited for what this Friday, and the rest of the season, have in store. The team, lead by coaches Rob Mahoney and Jenna Duncan of MVMMS and goalie coach Drew Nelson, has been waiting for a breakthrough for years. This year’s senior class is one of the strongest to lead the girls’ team in a while, and the 2019 season could just be the year they change the perception of girls soccer at MHS. 

Playing at the Fred Green stadium under the lights is a rare opportunity for both teams, and the players are excited for the spotlight to be on them. The program is expecting a large turnout of youth players and their families in the stands. But the crowd won’t distract either team from their goal of bringing home a win. Junior defender Tommy Bergin said, “Burlington is a good team and it’ll be a good game, but we’re just going to focus on playing well ourselves.” That determined attitude will no doubt be vital when playing such a high-level opponent.

Besides great soccer, Friday night will also feature a number of exciting community events. The boy’s game will begin with mayor Gail Infurna playing the national anthem on her trumpet, a performance that will not disappoint. In addition, 70 third and fourth grade youth soccer players signed up to walk onto the field hand-in-hand with the players to simulate the beginning of a professional soccer game. Both half times will feature a crossbar challenge for select youth players and an appearance by the New England Revolution’s mascot, Slyde.

Mr. DiBenedetto, MHS’s video production teacher, will be the PA announcer for the game, announcing starting lineups and goals. He will also be directing MHS TV as they film a multi-camera recording of the game which will be posted the next day so it can be watched by anyone who weren’t able to make it to the games. While he was hoping to post a live-stream, Fred Green’s lack of internet connection doesn’t allow that. Either way, Mr. D and his TV students will allow for the games to be available outside of the stadium. 

This Friday will not be a night to miss. Get to the Fred Green at 6 and be ready for an exciting and fun-filled celebration of soccer!