Page 12 THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FriDAy, OCTObEr 24, 2025 ~ Saugus High School Fall Sports roundup: Volleyball fighting to the finish, field hockey surging, Sewell having career season ~ By Dom Nicastro T he Sachems are closing out October with emotion, momentum and postseason dreams alive across several teams. Volleyball and field hockey are clawing for tournament position, while girls soccer rides its late-season firepower and a milestone chase. FIELD HOCKEY: TWO WINS AND A NEW LOOK SPARK LATE-SEASON SURGE Saugus field hockey found its stride with two key victories, shutting out Everett 3-0 and Danvers 1-0. Against Everett, Angelina Dow scored twice and Sydney Ferreira added one goal while also assisting Dow on a corner. The Sachems generated 16 shots and 17 corners in the win. “Everett’s goalie was amazing and made it hard to score,” head coach Julie Champigny said. In the win over Danvers, Saugus broke through on a corner goal from Julia Strout, assisted by Teaghan Arsenault. The new 3-3-3-1 formation has helped improve connections and stick-to-stick passing, Champigny said. Dow and Ferreira made key defensive stops, while goalie Jordyn Ripley-Deminski made numerous saves to preserve the shutout. Hannah Strout impressed at left midfielder, and Audrey Comeau’s pressure fueled the attack. Saugus stood at 7-9 after 16 matches, fighting to finish .500 by winning its final two games. If they do, they will be postseason-bound. Volleyball: Emotional senior week and tournament chase The Saugus volleyball team is heating up at the right time, improving to 8-10 after wins over Stoneham and Everett. SPORTS | FROM PAGE 11 Cummings added that Gloucester’s success came from fundamentals rather than trick plays. “They kind of give you a few formations, and they’ll make certain things look similar, but at the end of the day, they just execute,” he said. “We weren’t really able to get them behind the sticks at all on their first three drives. After that, our defense settled down a little bit, but at that point it’s 21-0.” The Sachems had a chance to Pictured from left to right, the Saugus High School volleyball seniors: Megan Xavier #7, Sophia Desmond #16, Captain Mara Faiella #6, Captain Maria Silva #1, Captain Aly Mabee #8, Agatha Gomes #20, Beatrice Rodrigues #19, and Pedro Spalenza #26. Head coach Mikayla Niles said her squad battled top-tier teams like Marblehead and Swampscott before regrouping with two gutsy performances. And because of it, they have found themselves with a shot at the postseason: just needing to win their final two games this week. “Marblehead is number one in our conference — they’re phenomenal — but it was a great learning experience for us,” Niles said. “Swampscott was a back-and-forth battle. Both those losses showed we can hang with the best.” The Sachems followed that with fiveset and three-set victories over Everett and Stoneham. Junior standout Aiyana Cruz was unstoppable, recording 46 attack attempts, 17 kills and only six errors in the Everett win. Against Stoneham, she served 19 straight points to clinch a 25-4 set win. “She was lights out,” Niles said. “Those score early but couldn’t convert. “We threw a pass on a fourthand-one. I thought we had a pass-interference call. We didn’t get it,” Cummings said. “That’s kind of the way the game goes.” After the slow start, Saugus pieced together a long scoring drive that consumed nearly the entire fourth quarter. Running backs Chris Mazin and Pablo DeJesus carried the load, moving the ball steadily downfield before Mazin capped it with a touchdown and DeJesus added the two-point conversion. little details — like serving consistency — are what we stress every day, and it’s paying off.” Senior Megan Xavier added several key blocks and kills, while freshman middle hitter Ava Foley continued her breakout campaign. Saugus entered its final week of the regular season needing to win out to make the tournament. The team’s home stretch includes Senior Night against Gloucester — a special moment for Niles, who began her high school coaching career with this senior class. “I’ve coached these girls for four years straight,” she said. “We started our journey together, and it’s bittersweet to see it end.” The Sachems wrap up with their annual Dig Pink match Thursday against Lynn English, to help raise awareness on Breast Cancer Awareness month. “That drive started with two minutes to go in the third,” Cummings said. “Just Chris Mazin and Pablo DeJesus, just kind of off tackle both sides. Up front, they did a nice job. Earlier in the night, we had a couple drives that, again, kind of like the week before — a couple good plays in a row, and then all of a sudden you get a holding call. But the last drive, we had really good execution from the guys up front.” The Sachems return home Friday, Oct. 24, for Senior Night against Swampscott, then close Wins in both would punch their ticket to the postseason. “We’ve been cold and hot,” Niles said, “but we’re hot at the right time.” GIRLS’ SOCCER: SEWELL NEARS 100 AS SACHEMS ROLL WINTHROP The Sewell sisters continue to light up the scoreboard for Saugus. In a 7-1 win over Winthrop, Shalyn Sewell scored three goals with an assist, while Shawn Sewell added a goal and two assists to reach 97 career points. Selena Garcia assisted her older sister Maria for her first goal of the season, and Sydney Deleidi and Natalie Justice each added a goal. “We dominated the game and controlled possession most of the time,” head coach April Martinez said. At 97 points, Shawn Sewell was just three shy of becoming the program’s next 100-point scorer, a mark she’s likely to hit this week as the team pushes for a division title and postseason berth. “We have a tough schedule ahead and need to win the rest of our games,” Martinez said. “But this group has shown they can play with anyone.” BOYS’ SOCCER: BATTLING DEPTH CHALLENGES LATE IN THE SEASON The boys’ soccer team hit a rough stretch, losing 6-0 to Bishop Fenwick and 2-1 to Peabody while battling injuries and a thin roster. Head coach Josh Crespo said six JV players were called up for the Fenwick match. Saugus, now nearing the end of its regular season, faces Swampscott, Northeast Metro Tech and Triton in its final stretch. the regular season Thursday, Oct. 30, at Medford. With two games left, Saugus still has a mathematical path to qualify for the Division 5 state tournament based on strength of schedule. But they need to win their final two games to even have a shot. “We still have an outside chance to kind of make some noise, especially with the strength of schedule that we have,” Cummings said. “Hey, we’ve got to show up and pull one together, and send the boys off on a good note on their Senior Night.” Cummings said Swampscott (4-2 overall, 2-0 in the NEC) is trending up after a slow start. “It’s funny — they didn’t get off to the greatest start, and everybody was kind of writing them off,” he said. “They graduated a lot of seniors off the previous year’s team… but they figured it out. Coach (Peter) Bush does a really good job over there. Their offense has really kicked into high gear. Defensively, they’ve got a lot of speed on the back end, and they’ve been forcing a lot of turnovers.”
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