Chelsea High’s girls soccer team concluded its season with momentum, securing wins in the final two contests of the week. Under the direction of Coach Jen Gulko, the squad topped Lynn Tech 2-1 on Monday, with Quinnee Valenzona and Zuleima Castillo finding the back of the net. Valenzona’s goal came courtesy of an assist from Sarah Bourouis, while Castillo’s strike marked her first of the campaign. “The girls played a fantastic game and showed how much they’ve improved over the past season,” Gulko remarked following the triumph. “Some of our new players really stepped up and played well, and showed their significant improvement in their first season.” The victory was tempered by an injury to Lady Red Devil captain Elsa Nunez, who sustained a serious head blow during the match and was sidelined for the season finale. In that final game, Chelsea managed a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Mystic Valley. “Last year, we ended the season with a 0-0 tie against Mystic so it was great to end this year with a win,” Gulko observed. A pivotal moment came when senior Zehra Mirzai made a crucial save, deflecting the ball away from the goal line to prevent what would have been a tying score. “That was a fantastic last game for Zehra to end her career with CHS,” Gulko stated. The two victories propelled the Lady Red Devils to second place in the CAC Small Division—a first for the program, as they had finished third in each of the previous two seasons—with a final record of 3-6-5. Despite the strong finish, they fell one point short of qualifying for the state tournament. Four players earned CAC all-star honors: Zuleima Castillo (junior, defense), Loren Ramos (junior, midfield), Elsa Nunez (junior, defense, captain), and Gabby Salazar (sophomore, goalkeeper). Looking ahead to 2011, Loren Ramos and Elsa Nunez were selected as team captains, while Zuleima Castillo received the MVP award as voted by her teammates. “Coach Amy Loomis and I are incredibly proud of these girls and the progress they made this year,” Gulko concluded. “They not only improved their soccer skills, but they really came together as a team. All of the girls work hard both physically and academically (they attend mandatory after school tutoring every day before practice if they have any grades lower than a C). We are only losing one senior, so the girls are going to continue to work out together in the off season and in the summer. We have a fantastic shot at going to the tournament next year.”
CHS soccer girls win last two games
