By STEPHEN MARTELLUCCI
NORTH READING — On Nov. 24, the North Reading High boys’ soccer team had its end-of-season awards banquet at Kitty’s. That evening, four awards were given out by Hornets head coach Mark Bisognano.
Senior co-captains Finn Rodger (midfielder) and Max Gulino (striker) were the team’s co-MVP’s this year. Both players made the Cape Ann League First-Team All-Stars the past two seasons.
The Coaches Award was given to senior co-captain and defenseman Jackson Wesley while senior midfielder, Kieran Miller, took home the Unsung Hero Award.
Miller, also a co-captain, was a CAL Second-Team All-Star this season.
The Joe Davis Most Improved Player Award was handed out to senior defenseman Connor Gattuso.
The Hornets had a memorable year this fall as they reached the MIAA Division 3 state quarterfinals before losing, 2-1 at Medfield back on Nov. 13.
That loss was their only defeat this year as they finished the 2024 campaign at 18-1-2 overall.
In the CAL, North Reading finished at 14-0-2 as they captured the CAL Kinney Division title.
This was only the second team in school history to go undefeated in the regular season.
“This was the best team we have ever had,” stated Bisognano, who just finished his 23rd-year at the helm. “The style of play we had was great and they all played well together.”
The roster will look a lot different next September as the Hornets will lose 12 seniors to graduation. Along with Gulino, Rodger, Wesley, Miller and Gattuso, the team will also lose Cam Parrett (goalkeeper), Davide Rosati (defenseman), Matt Fleury (midfielder), Duncan Gulino (defenseman), Mahdi Queri (midfielder), Badr Ourdyl (forward) and Nik Laverdiere (defenseman),
Fleury, the team’s fifth co-captain, was a CAL Second-Team All-Star.
They also will lose senior team managers, Owen Phillips and PJ Conte.
“The seniors gave us the confidence and they put up big numbers that are going to be very hard to match next season,” said Bisognano, who was named the CAL Kinney Division Coach of the Year. “Eight of them were starters and all 12 of them are going to be missed.”
North Reading is expecting six veterans back next year spearheaded by CAL All-Stars Gavin Wesley and Davi Leao.
Gavin Wesley, a defenseman, is a two-time CAL First Team All-Star. Leao, a junior striker, scored 18 goals this fall as he was a CAL Second-Team All-Star.