Tewksbury High Boys Soccer Team Starts A New Era

Color Tom Carpenito as a man who is not afraid to embrace a challenge.

Not only does Carpenito, Tewksbury High's new boys' soccer coach, have to replace a legend in , but he's also got to find replacements for the 13 graduating seniors who departed Tewksbury High along with Levine this past June.

That list of graduates features players like Massachusetts Coaches Association , who was also named the Merrimack Valley Conference Division 2 Player of The Year last fall.

McQuesten ruled the middle of the field with Richard Kirby, Colin Foley and , while strikers Stefan Monteiro and Pat Bernardo provided the offense.  and MVC All-Conference selection Johnny DiGiorgio.

"We've got our work cut out for us, that's for sure," Carpenito said. "We've only got three starters back, so most of these kids haven't played together much at all. It's going to take a while to build some team chemistry."

Carpenito got his first chance to see his team perform under game conditions on Tuesday when TMHS hosted Tyngsboro in a pre-season scrimmage. And while the results weren't pretty (Tyngsboro won, 5-0), Carpenito wasn't discouraged by what he saw.

"We've got some talent and some athleticism, but we don't have soccer mentality, and we've got to fix that," Carpenito said. "I was happy with their effort. They worked hard and gave it their all. I just have to teach them how to do it properly and efficiently."

and senior defender Andy Chabak reurn as the team's co-captains. Bouthot earned MVC All-Conference honors as a first-year netminder last season.

Senior midfielder Derek Sabbag is the third returning starter, while sophomore striker Nick Bain garnered significant playing time as a freshman. Bain started at striker on Tuesday alongside freshman Matt Lemos.

Another freshman, Ron Mallach, started at midfield against Tyngsboro, as did junior Dan McNeil and senior Connor Morris. Theo Hondros, also a junior, will see significant time at midfield.

The defensive line-up revolves around Chabak, who played sweeper for much of the game on Tuesday. Sophomore Robert Charbonneau, senior Fote Kafkis and junior Joey DiRusso will also man the back line.

Mitchell Miskell, a freshman, figures to see playing time at midfield too.

In spite of the lopsided result from Tuesday, Carpenito was upbeat about his team's future.

"It's gonna take a while, but it's all good," he said. "We're here to have some fun and we're gonna do this the right way. I'm going to try to create a brand of soccer that will fit with the talent we have. We don't have the type of team to play long ball, but we've got some skill. We're going to try to possess the ball and move it laterally."

The Redmen open their season on Thursday, Sept. 8 in Billerica. Their first home game is on Saturday, Sept. 10 at 10 a.m. against Lawrence. Tewksbury plays its home games at the Winn Middle School on Griffin Way, off Main Street.

"We've got a lot of work to do," Carpenito said. "But I'm not down at all on what I saw (against Tyngsboro) because the kids showed that they want to work hard. If they want to work hard and they're willing to listen, we could do some damage."