By CHRISTINA GAGNE
STONEHAM — The second annual Inspire Cup, named after the popular Wakefield café, took place on Oct. 20 between the Wakefield Warriors and the Stoneham Spartans. This year, both the Wakefield boys’ and girls’ soccer teams lifted the Cup, marking a clean sweep for the Warriors.
The Inspire Cup tradition began when the Stoneham High School girls’ soccer coach, whose brother works at Inspire Cafe, wanted to create an event to strengthen community ties while promoting the café’s mission of employing individuals of all abilities. Inspire Café employees were on-site selling their signature treats and warm beverages, adding to the lively match-day atmosphere.
From the opening whistle, the Warriors came out on the front foot. Senior captain Matt Keefe, Alex De Morais and Isaac Melo generated early chances with overlapping runs, dangerous crosses, and shots on target.
Wakefield maintained possession and pressed high throughout the first half. Off one of senior captain Nik Dhingra’s trademark long throw-ins, Mhamed Boukataya flicked the ball to Aodan Hagan, who found the back of the net, only for the goal to be ruled offside.
The Warriors dominated the midfield, stringing together crisp passes and pinning Stoneham deep in their own half. A promising sequence came when Keefe played a through ball to Hagan, whose cross to Eddie Meneguello resulted in a shot that sailed just high off the bar.
Hagan continued to be a relentless presence, tracking down loose balls and creating opportunities, while Keefe dictated the tempo from midfield.
Wakefield finally broke through when De Morais fired a shot that was deflected by the Stoneham goalie, only for Boukataya to pounce on the rebound and slot it home for the opener.
Goalkeeper Kai Mercer had a quiet first half, as Stoneham only managed its first shot roughly 25 minutes in. Mercer was well-shielded in typical fashion by Aidan Bligh and Aden Stevenson, whose composed defending kept the Spartans at bay.
Stevenson was involved offensively at one point, intercepting a corner kick and unleashing a shot that skimmed just wide of the Stoneham net.
Stoneham equalized late in the half, capitalizing on a second-chance effort after a Mercer save deflected wide, leveling the score at 1–1 going into the break.
The Warriors came out of halftime with renewed energy and purpose. Hagan’s corner kicks consistently threatened, creating chaos in the box, though the finishing touch initially eluded them. Boukataya at one point came close to netting his second goal of the night, firing just wide.
Then, under a rainbow stretching across the sky, Guy Revah unleashed a cannon from 20 yards out, blasting it past the Stoneham keeper to restore Wakefield’s lead at 2–1.
Wakefield’s attack continued to surge. Hagan delivered a pinpoint cross into the six-yard box, where Melo met it cleanly and buried it for a 3–1 advantage. Moments later, De Morais capped the scoring with a composed finish into the bottom corner after skillfully juggling past a defender, sealing a commanding 4–1 victory.
Senior captain Matt Keefe praised the team’s focus and chemistry after the match. “After games like that, you can’t help but credit the game plan and energy of the guys. Everyone wants to be here winning games, and they show that when they step onto the field. It’s about consistency, knowing we are going out there every night and doing our jobs and going the extra mile on anything we can do. And frankly, playing on this confidence and this trust in one another is what November soccer teams are made of. We can be the first seed or the last seed. Come playoff time, it’s 80 minutes of your best product.
“We’ve been here before, and we just need to put trust in one another and our coaching staff to play the best soccer we can.”
The Warriors carried their momentum into Senior Night on Wednesday, defeating Watertown 3–1 to clinch a postseason berth. A full story will appear at a later date. With upcoming final games against Wilmington tonight and Chelmsford on Wednesday, Wakefield looks to finish the regular season strong before turning its focus to playoff soccer.