News from Winthrop Transcripts on the Vikings 2021 season.
18 November 2021
WHS Sports Roundup
by Cary Shuman • November 18, 2021 • 0 Comments
WHS Boys Soccer Edged in Tourney, 3-2
The Winthrop High boys soccer team reached the end of the line in their Journey to the Tourney last Wednesday in Holbrook with a hard-fought, 3-2 loss to Rockland in a Round-of-16 contest in the Division 4 state soccer tournament.
Both the Vikings, the 14th seed in D-4, and the Bulldogs, the #3 seed, had advanced to their Sweet 16 matchup thanks to opening-round victories. Winthrop blasted Bishop Connolly, 8-3, while Rockland topped Advanced Math, 4-0.
The Vikings drew first blood, thanks to a goal by the Vikings’ leading scorer,
Gustav Hemmingsen, who scored on a penalty kick.
However, the Bulldogs responded with a trio of unanswered goals to take a 3-1 lead at the intermission.
Winthrop refused to give up and made things interesting when Jeronimo Jimenez reached the back of the Rockland net with a blast from 30 yards out to close the gap to 3-2. Esteban Alvarez earned the assist.
The Vikings battled furiously in an effort to notch the tying tally. Hemmingsen had some nice chances, but his deliveries either went wide or were saved by the Bulldog goalkeeper.
Carlos Dura almost notched the equalizer, but his shot hit the post late in the game.
“Although we didn’t get the result we wanted, the coaching staff and I couldn’t be any prouder of the fight they put in,” said Gagin. “This was probably the best team that the WHS boys soccer program has ever seen. It was a fun year and I hope they enjoyed every moment of it.” Incidentally, Rockland advanced to the Final Four in D-4 with a 2-1 victory over sixth-seed West Bridgewater in the quarterfinals this past Saturday
11 November 2021
WHS Sports Roundup
by Transcript Staff • November 11, 2021 • 0 Comments
WHS Boys Soccer Wins Tourney Opener
The Winthrop high boys soccer team advanced to the round of 16 in the Division 4 state soccer tournament with an 8-3 victory over Bishop Connolly this past Saturday in an opening round contest at Miller Field.
The Vikings sprinted to a 3-0 lead at the outset thanks to Gustav Hemmingsen, who lit up the Bishop Connolly net for all three goals within a six-minute stretch thanks to some great through-balls from his teammates that sent Gustav in alone on the Bishop keeper, whom he beat cleanly every time.
On one of the goals Hemmingsen deked a defender literally off his feet after taking the pass and cutting from right to left about 10 feet out, from where he then proceeded to deliver the ball past the keeper.
After the Hemmingsen onslaught, Bishop Connolly called a time-out to regroup and fought back with two goals. However, Aymane Cherki, assisted by Esteban Alvarez, responded for Winthrop to leave matters at 4-2 at the intermission.
The Vikings maintained their momentum to start the second half, with Jeronimo Jimenez making it 5-2 with an assist from Hemmingsen.
A few minutes later, Hemmingsen scored his fourth goal of the game off a pass from Juan Guauque. Bishop Connolly was able to score one more before Viking Carlos Dura restored the Vikings’ four-goal margin with a penalty kick.
Senior Ryan Kfoury applied the coup de grace with a marker with about 10 minutes to go for the 8-3 final.
“We played a great game and it was a total team effort,” said WHS head coach Kyle Gagin. “It was the first time that the Winthrop boys’ soccer program had ever hosted a game, and for the boys to do it in front of a crowd made it all the better.”
Winthrop, which finished with a record of 10-6-2, entered the tourney as the 14th-seeded team in D-4. Bishop Connolly (8-3-1) was the 19th seed among the 39 teams that qualified for the D-4 tourney.
Gagin and his crew were scheduled to play Rockland, the #3 seed, yesterday (Wednesday) at Holbrook High. The Bulldogs defeated Advanced Math by a score of 4-0 in their tourney-opener.
If the Vikings were successful yesterday, they will advance to the quarterfinals on Saturday to face the winner of the West Bridgwater v. Lynn Tech matchup.
22 October 2021
WHS Sports Roundup
by Transcript Staff • October 22, 2021 • 0 Comments
WHS Boys Soccer Tops Northeast, 2-1
The Winthrop High boys soccer team earned a 2-1 victory in a match with non-league rival Northeast Regional last Thursday at Miller Field.
After battling to a nil-nil deadlock through the first half, the Vikings conceded the first goal of the contest to the visiting Golden Knights after the intermission.
However, Winthrop responded to the deficit with a goal by Damian Vidal and then took the lead a few minutes later when Damian assisted Gustav Hemmingsen on a goal that proved to be the game-winner.
“From there we were able to hold onto the lead and win the game,” said WHS head coach Kyle Gagin. “It took us a while to find our rhythm. Thankfully we found it and our defense did well to keep the win.”
The Vikings’ next two contests did not have outcomes that were as favorable. Winthrop traveled to Lynn Classical on Saturday and came up on the short end of a 3-0 final score.
“We went down 2-0 at the half,” noted Gagon. “Classical was able to get their third goal with under 10 minutes left in the game to seal it. Unfortunately, some of their goals came off our own mistakes and we couldn’t overcome them.”
This past Monday Winthrop traveled to Masconomet and dropped an 8-1 decision.
The Vikings’ lone goal came from Hemmingsen with an assist from Vidal.
“We started the game flat and never looked comfortable in possession,” said Gagin. “Defensively, the team looked shaky. Definitely a tough game that we need to put behind us.”
Gagin and his crew were scheduled to make the long trek to Gloucester yesterday (Wednesday). They will return home for a pair of contests under the lights at Miller Field when they host Danvers at 6:00 on Monday and entertain Salem at 6:30 on Tuesday.
The Vikings will wrap up their regular season next Thursday afternoon with another home game against Swampscott.
7 October 2021
WHS Sports Roundup
by Transcript Staff • October 7, 2021 • 0 Comments
WHS Boys Soccer Wins Three Contests
The Winthrop High boys soccer team enjoyed a tremendous week, winning all three of its contests.
In a 5-2 victory over Salem, the Vikings overcame an early 1-0 deficit. Winthrop brought the contest back to level when Gustav Hemmingsen scored on a penalty kick. The Vikings briefly moved ahead thanks to a goal by Juan Guauque, but Salem deadlocked matters before the end of the first half.
However, the Vikings came out on fire after the intermission and scored three unanswered goals. Ari Hain, Damian Vidal, and Hemmingsen all reached the back of the Salem net.
“It was a dominant second half in which we had a majority of possession,” said WHS head coach Kyle Gagin.
Winthrop followed up that win with a 5-1 victory over Saugus. The Vikings took a 2-1 lead into the intermission thanks to Aymane Cherki, who scored both of the Winthrop goals.
However, once again the Vikings took control in the second half, with Hemmingsen reaching the back of the Saugus net three times to record a hat trick.
“It was another slow start, but I liked the way we were able to possess,” said Gagin. “Eventually we started creating more chances and took advantage of them.”
The Vikings made it a perfect 3-0 for the week with a 3-1 victory over Peabody this past Tuesday. Cherki had a goal and an assist. Hemmingsen and Guauque also scored, with assists from Esteban Alvarez and Carlos Penalba.
“Overall we played poorly and were lucky to come away with a win,” noted Gagin, who added that goalkeeper Mateo Martinez “had another stellar game in net.”
Gagin and his crew, who now are 7-2 on the season, will entertain Marblehead today (Thursday) and will play at Malden on Saturday. They will host Northeast Regional next Thursday afternoon.
16 September 2021
WHS Sports Roundup
by Transcript Staff • September 16, 2021 • 0 Comments
WHS Boys Soccer Tops Marblehead, E.B.
The Winthrop High boys soccer team is off to one of the best starts — if not THE best start — in the program’s history as a member of the Northeastern Conference.
After routing NEC rival Saugus in their season-opener last week by a score of 8-1, coach Kyle Gagin’s squad defeated Marblehead and non-league rival East Boston by identical scores of 2-0 before dropping a 3-1 decision to a strong Beverly team.
The victory over the visiting Magicians from Marblehead took place in the rain on the turf and under the lights at Miller Field last Thursday evening in conditions that would have been unplayable in the old Miller swamp.
After a level first half in which neither team could reach the back of the net, the Vikings put home two goals after the intermission, the first by Danish exchange student Gustav Hemmingsen and the second by Aymane Cherki. Hemmingsen and Juan Guauque were credited with assists.
“The big story was the play from our goalie, Mateo Martínez,” noted Gagin. “He made a number of big saves to record his first career varsity shutout.”
On Monday the Vikings grounded the Jets of East Boston by the same score. Hemmingsen accounted for both Winthrop markers, scoring on a penalty kick after being brought down in the penalty box in the first half and beating the E.B. keeper in the second half on which sophomore Loert Mana delivered a nice, low crossing pass for the assist.
Martinez once again was immense in net to pick up his second straight clean sheet.
In the contest with Beverly this past Tuesday, Hemmingsen — who appears to be en route to setting a WHS single-season scoring record — recorded his ninth goal of the season in four games.
“Our defensive back line of seniors Ryan Kfoury, Zane Bower, JD Parker, and Chad Bernstein have been the rock of the team and have put in a great defensive performance every game,” noted Gagin. “Beverly is one of the better teams in the state, let alone the NEC, so overall I was pleased with the performance. We controlled the second half for quite a bit. This game showed we can hang with great teams. Even though we lost, we can still build on this.”
Gagin and his crew return to the pitch this Tuesday when they will host the Fishermen from Gloucester in another evening battle under the lights at Miller. The opening kick-off is set for 6:00. The Vikings then will hit the road to Danvers next Thursday.
9 september 2021
WHS Sports Roundup
by Transcript Staff • September 9, 2021 • 0 Comments
WHS Boys Soccer Opens With 8-1 win
The Winthrop High boys soccer team got its 2021 season off to a smashing start with an 8-1 victory over Northeastern Conference rival Saugus this past Tuesday afternoon at Miller Field.
The Vikings scored the opening goal of the contest, reaching the back of the Saugus net in the first minute of play. Saugus brought the match back to level with a marker a minute later, but Winthrop responded immediately within the next minute and proceeded to add three more unanswered tallies to carry a 5-1 advantage into the intermission.
The Vikings kept their foot on the gas in the second half, adding three more goals for the 8-1 finale.
Gustav Hemmingsen, an international student from Denmark, figured in six of the Winthrop goals, scoring five himself and contributing an assist.
Senior captain Juan Guauque had a goal and three assists, Spanish international student Damian Vidal scored a goal, and junior Esteban Alvarez contributed a goal and an assist.
Senior captain JD Parker, junior Loert Mana, and sophomore goalkeeper Mateo Martinez also were credited with assists.
“It was a great start to the season,” said WHS head coach Kyle Gagin. “We were moving the ball around really well. It was great to finish our chances in the first game and it will hopefully give us confidence for the rest of the season.”
Gagon and his crew are scheduled to trek northward to face NEC rival Marblehead today (Thursday). They will entertain non-league rival East Boston on Monday and host Beverly on Tuesday.