A Family Affair: Showdown With Medford More than Just Another Soccer Game

When No. 17 Somerville travels to No. 9 Medford today to meet in the quarterfinals of the Div. 1 North boys soccer tournament, there will be no surprises. There will be no guessing games, no chess match, no mind games between the two coaches, because, quite frankly, they are family.

No, Medford coach Mike Petrides and Somerville coach George Scarpelli are not related by blood, but they consider each other "brothers" brought together by the game they both love teaching.

It was ten years ago, when Scarpelli was still the head coach of Medford, that he brought in Petrides to bring some new perspective to the program. The relationship since they met has grown so strong that Petrides is the godfather of Scarpelli's daughter.

The two have coached against each other over the past couple of years, but never with this much at stake. The winner will move on to the semifinals of the Div. 1 North sectionals and will play the winner of Brookline and Lincoln-Sudbury.

"Mike knows me inside and out and I know Mike inside and out," Scarpelli said of the relationship. "It's tough because you know the hopes and dreams of the team beside you, and I know the hopes and dreams of my boys."

"We got so close that he is like my brother," added Petrides. "He's not just anybody. He's my brother"

Both teams have hit their stride at the right time, meaning this game will come down to effort, not whose game plan is going to outwit the other.

Somerville is coming off a 3-1 victory over No. 1 Madison Park on Monday night, and they have a fully healthy squad ready to roll on Wednesday. Medford is coming off a 2-1 win over Brighton, and have had to mix-and-match lineups without the services of arguably their best player, Manny Gonzales.

However, both coaches know that none of the pre-game hype or the injuries means anything when the two teams hit the field. It will be all about who wants it more.

"It's going to be a game of inches," said Petrides. "Every time we play each other we know each other's tendencies and we know each other defenses."

"You are going to put the ball out there, and it's going to be the person that runs hardest to put that ball to the back post," said Scarpelli. "It's the person that goes for the throw-in that pops the ball in. It's going to be the goalie that makes the save. It's not going to be a strategy type of game."

And don't expect either coach to take it easy on each other when the whistle is blown. Both men have a group of young men that are looking for the opportunity to move on in the tournament.

"I love George to death, but I'd coach against anybody the same way," said Petrides. "We don't teach our kids to be dirty and we don't teach the kids to be disrespectful, but when we step in between those lines it's all about winning and tradition."

Added Scarpelli: "One team out of this group is going to end up on the short end of the stick, and that's the tough part of it. When the whistle blows he's the Medford coach and I'm the Somerville coach, but when that last whistle blows I'm going to be the first one to congratulate him or console him."

Two best friends with one goal in mind. It should be a family feud on Wednesday night in Medford at 6 p.m.