Published June 21, 2019
MELROSE—Melrose Youth Soccer’s boys fifth and sixth grade travel team 5 concluded their spring season on Saturday, June 8, undefeated with nine wins, no losses, and no ties. Coached by Marty Hergert, Piero Susi, and Russel Ingersoll, the team started the season on April 6 with a 4-1 win over Lowell and closed out with a 5-0 win at home over Burlington.
THE UNDEFEATED 5-6th grade Melrose travel soccer team. Pictured, front throw L to R: Anderson Ji, Luca Susi, Hakan Ertosun, Marco Susi, Henry McCormack, Rayan Zahir. Back row L to R, Wyatt Ingersoll, Charley Herbert, Luke Worley, Giancarlo Martinis, Joseph Guarino, Areg Hovhannisyan. Coaches: Bottom front – Piero Susi. Top left – Russell Ingersoll. Right – Marty Herbert (courtesy photo)
“Billerica and Wilmington were our toughest games,” said Coach Hergert. “Those cities have outstanding youth soccer programs and field a lot of fast and skilled players. But we were able to outmatch them both on offense and defense. I have had many seasons of coaching in which we would lose most games or win two or three. It’s nice to have a season really go in our favor.”
With the top record in their division, Hergert’s Melrose travel team will play in the Commissioner’s Cup. A number of Melrose Youth Soccer boys and girls team will also be headed to Lancaster, Massachusetts, to compete in a the two-day tournament on June 22-23. In divisions with two brackets, teams must finish in first or second place in their division and bracket to be eligible to compete in the cup.
Players on the team are Hakan Ertosun, Joseph Guarino , Charley Herbert, Areg Hovhannisyan, Wyatt Ingersoll, Anderson Ji, Giancarlo Martinis, Henry McCormack, Luca Susi, Marcro Susi, Silvio Susi, Luke Worley and Rayan Zahir.
Asked about what drove their success this season, Coach Hergert said: “We treated every practice just like a game and stopped trying to run drills. We did emphasize a skill like defense, shooting, or passing during our twice-weekly sessions, but we let the players get as much real game-like time on the field as possible. Their confidence built with each successful game and practice.
