Malden Youth Soccer Girls U16 team win State Championship

"This season made me feel like I really belonged for the first time since I moved to Malden. And I'm so happy to have friends that I played with and proved that Malden is strong. " -Rocio Mejia (Rosie)

Malden Youth Soccer’s Girls U16 team, coached by Cam Aristil and Hugo Ruperti, along with Team Manager Elizabeth Herrera, has had an amazing season and an historic post season. Undefeated in the regular season, they headed to Commissioner’s Cup which, because they are a Division 2 team, was a Massachusetts Tournament of Champions (MTOC) qualifier for them. At Commissioner’s Cup, they won against Charlestown 4-0, and Tewksbury 2-1 to advance to the state finals. At MTOC, they dominated. Saturday they played and beat Nashoba Valley 2-0, Lynnfield 2-0, and Fall River 2-0 to advance to the semi-finals. Sunday morning they played Quaborg and won in overtime on penalty kicks, 3-2 and advanced to face Holbrook/Avon in the final Sunday at noon. Regulation play ended with the teams tied 2-2, and Malden won 3-2 in overtime to become the Division 2 State Champions.

Coach Cam emphasized that Elizabeth Herrera’s management was integral to their success at MTOC. “The team had to be well managed...during the entire tournament, even what and how much they ate and drank, [and] the time they went to bed. None of it would have been possible without her taking charge of it.”

As for the parents of the players, Coach Cam said, “Our parents were phenomenal. The support for the team, especially during the tournament, was really great.”

The team were asked if they had anything to say about their experience over the season and especially this past weekend; their answers provide a window into their success.

Beatriz Segato: "Playing with heart and soul took us far, and with hard work we became state champions!"
Sarah Whitehouse: “With the right mindset, you’ll always win.”
Emraude Bonnet: "I only started soccer 5 years ago and all that work paid off the moment we won MTOC undefeated!"
Camila Perez Herrera: “‘I don’t want to go home and cut the grass’, said Coach Hugo, so we didn’t let him go home and cut the grass, by winning the semi and final games.”

Coach Cam emphasized that the significance of this accomplishment cannot be overstated. “While they all played really hard to win the title, they were playing for something bigger than themselves. Representing Malden, a community where there is a lack of girls playing sports, especially soccer, the girls accomplished something that’s never been achieved in Malden Youth Soccer history. Not only did they win, they did it by being undefeated the entire season. They truly show that Malden girls can compete, realize and accomplish great things.”

Team members are: Iman Aburubieh, Sidra Alani, Camneilie Aristil, Emraude Bonnet, Isabella Calderon Ordonez, Batoul Chouiki, Nour Chouiki, Darcy Cummings, Vanessa Diniz, Doaa Halty, Olivia Keane, Sephora Leroy, Aleshia Lewis, Rocio Mejia, Kaitlyn Mini, Maria Pereira, Camila Perez Herrera, Sophia Ruperti, Angelina Schorr, Beatriz Segato, and Sarah Whitehouse.