By MARC GAGNE
WAKEFIELD — What an evening it was at Landrigan Field this past Friday when the girls’ and boys’ varsity teams played Stoneham and celebrated the seniors on the boys’ team.
Wakefield and Stoneham youth team players and also TOPS (The Outreach Program for Soccer) players were matched up with a varsity player buddy and walked onto the field to stand together for the National Anthem, sung by Wakefield Memorial High School freshman, Collin Campbell.
The youth players were also thrilled for the chance to get out onto the big field and play a game themselves at halftime.
The night kicked off, though, with the tradition of acknowledging the seniors on this year’s team. The players’ names were announced over the loudspeaker and after each senior’s name was called, he presented a bouquet of flowers to his mother and then stood with his parents and sometimes siblings for a picture. Banners and balloons for each of the 10 talented seniors hung on the fence, and a photo collage was on display, showing the boys from about age 5 forward as they played together on various Wakefield Soccer Association (“WSA”) teams.
The WSA community was present in large numbers, even in the rain, to support the team and cheer on especially the seniors. They were also very generous in purchasing pizza and snacks from the concession stand, resulting in a lot of money being raised for the team.
There was also a game to be played.
Wakefield dominated the match against Stoneham offensively throughout the night, and the defense and senior goalie Andrew Valley shut out yet another opponent as the Warriors improved to 11-3-1 with a 6-0 victory.
Only a minute or two into the game, senior captain Darragh Casey caught a long pass from fellow senior captain Brian Purcell and scooted past the Stoneham goalie with it, when the goalie came out to try and intercept the ball. After Casey booted the ball into the goal, he ran down the sideline, high-fiving the excited youth players in the stands.
Over the course of the night, there were five additional goals scored: one by senior captain Marc Laverdiere, two by sophomore Jack Millward and two by freshman Alex De Morais. Assists came from senior captain Reid Festel, senior Frankie Leone and freshman Guy Revah.
Following the big win, the team and parents came together to celebrate with a nice dinner. It really was a special night for all of the seniors on the team and their family members. The seniors included Casey, Festel, Laverdiere, Purcell, Leone, Andrew Valley, Elias Anjim, Nathan Bonassera, Alejandro Borda and Philip Valley.
Captain Brian Purcell reflected on the evening.
“I really enjoyed playing tonight with my teammates who I’ve been playing with since kindergarten and sharing a special moment,” said Purcell. “Being able to celebrate these four years is something I will never forget.”
On the impact the senior players have made over the years, head coach Matt Angelo said, “Our senior athletes have been exceptional leaders both this year and throughout their high school careers. Working with them over the past few years has been truly inspiring.
“They’ve displayed dedication, sportsmanship and a commitment to excellence that has set a remarkable example for the entire team. It’s been a privilege to coach such outstanding individuals.”
The team has two additional regular season games left after also winning against Burlington, 5-0, on Monday. They are now 12-3-1 on the season and ranked No. 4 in the Div. 2 power rankings behind only Billerica (1st, 14-1-1), Bedford (2nd, 8-1-4) and Hingham (3rd, 13-1-0).
The Warriors bring their six-game winning streak to Watertown tonight at 7 p.m. before concluding the regular season at home on Monday, 4:15 p.m. against Central Catholic.