WAKEFIELD — Eight teams from the Wakefield Soccer Association have advanced to the playoffs in the Essex County Youth Soccer League. The playoffs will be held this week, culminating with championship games this Saturday and Sunday at the Pingree School fields in South Hamilton.
In grade six boys, Wakefield Lazio, coached by Christopher Sheehan and Benjamin Reuell, will be in the playoffs in the County-3 division. Their first round game is against a team from Topsfield.
In grade six girls, Wakefield has placed three teams in the playoffs. In the MTOC-1 division, Wakefield Celtic, coached by Sharon Carlino (co-winner of this year’s Sean Buckley Award), David Aliski, Jeffrey Giunta, and Wakefield Soccer Association President Ashley Renzi, will play Lynnfield in the first round.
In the County-1 division, Wakefield Rangers, coached by Lynne O’Mara, Craig Medeiros, and Daniel Marra, will play Lawrence in the first round.
In the County-3 division, Wakefield Wanderers, coached by Garrett Gilman, Michael Walbourne, Brian Stowell, and Kristin Moan, will play a team from Hamilton-Wenham in the first round.
In grade eight girls, the Wakefield Wolves, coached by Connor Jorde and John Hickey, will play in the County-1 division.
In grade 10 boys, Wakefield Magpies, coached by Lee Millward, Roger Marceau (also co-winner of this year’s Sean Buckley Award), and Benjamin Schools, will play in the MTOC-1 division. Their first game is a semifinal game against North Andover.
In the PG boys division, which includes all grades of high school players plus players in their first year of college, the Wakefield Warriors, coached by Eric Wild, Justin Neal, and Robert Valley, will play in the MTOC-1 division. Their first game is a semifinal game against Topsfield, Masco.
And finally, in the PG girls County division, Wakefield West Ham, coached by Thomas Callahan, WSA President Ashley Renzi, Lindsay Heyd, WSA Volunteer of the Year Joshua Caplin, and Allan Stratton, will play Danvers in the semifinals.
The MTOC division teams will be playing for the right to represent the Essex Youth Soccer League at the Massachusetts Tournament of Champions, held on June 27-29 at the SBLI Soccer Fields at Progin Park in Lancaster. The County division teams will be playing to be declared the champions of their division in the Essex League.
More information on the Essex League and its playoffs can be found at ecysa.org.
The third and fourth grade Wakefield travel teams participated in the end of season Friendship Jamboree on June 14, at the Shawsheen Fields in Wilmington. The Grade 4 division of the Essex County Youth Soccer League does not keep standings, but instead focuses on learning the game and having fun.
The girls teams Revolution, Wave, Timbers, Dash, Thorns, and Warriors-Red and Warriors-White played at the Jamboree, as well as the boys teams Barcelona, Villareal, Valencia, Foxes, Real, Granada, and Atletico.
All told, Wakefield entered 39 teams with 555 players in the spring season of the Essex League. More information regarding Wakefield Soccer is available at wakefieldsoccer.org.
The Wakefield Soccer Association strives to provide a quality recreational, youth soccer experience for all of our members. We believe that good sportsmanship and a desire to coach, play, referee or watch soccer in a way that honors the game, are the cornerstones of that experience. In doing so, we aim to create a lifelong appreciation of the game by actively seeking to promote soccer to the youth of Wakefield. This spring WSA had over 1000 youth playing soccer from ages 2 to 19.