Savi Ponders Soccer Retirement, Reflects on '11 Season

Sectional championship? Check. 200 wins? Check. Daughter Jenna finishes DHS soccer career? Check.

Dedham girl's soccer coach Don Savi will take the next few months to decide whether he will return for a 16th season, he said in a phone interivew Tuesday.

"I have not made a decision on that yet. The season just ended a few days ago. I'll come to a decision in the next few months," Savi said. "I've really thought about it a lot now."

Savi's Marauders lost for the second time in as many years to Duxbury in the MIAA Division 2 South tournament. 

Duxbury notched a second-half goal on Friday to down the Marauders in Weymouth. Dedham had a chance to score in the first half, but that chance ricocheted off the crossbar. 

Dedham was shutout in its final two games of the season. 

"We didn't play our best soccer, and that hurt us," Savi said. "We played really good teams and we just missed some chances."

The Marauders will graduate all-time leading scorer, and Savi's daughter, Jenna Savi, four-year starter Sarah Warjas, midfielder Kelly Quinn and fellow seniors Nicole Saleme and Maria Coppola.

Warjas will play soccer for the University of Rhode Island and Jenna Savi will done a Merrimack College uniform next fall.

As Jenna joins sister Nicole in the college ranks, Don Savi indicated he might need more time to watch his daughters play collegiate soccer.

But, Savi added he wanted to see a number of returners finish their careers at Dedham High School - including juniors Emily Hill and Ellen Masalsky.

"The girls that are going to back have worked extremely hard and I'd like to see them finish their careers too, that's where I'm caught in the middle - it's tough," Savi said.

"Ellen got better this year from last year," he said. "She is more vocal presence in [goal] and is more confident. I think she'll be better next year also."

Freshmen Meghan MacFarland and Andrea Bradbury impressed Savi this season, he said.

"You never know what to expect out of new players, but they stepped in and did well for us," he said.

The Marauders finished 2011 at 17-5-2 and with a Herget Division co-championship after winning their final five games of the season.

"I'm very pleased with how we played," Savi said.

Of course, Savi concluded that he would've like to still be playing.

"We did well in the tournament getting all the way to semifinals. We wanted to go farther, but at that point the teams are so close in talent that a break here and there, you either go on or you don't," Savi said.