WORCESTER – The St. John’s Pioneers fell to the Newton North Tigers by a score of 2-1 in the MIAA Division 1 boys soccer state championship game, played at Worcester State University during a cold and blustery game played on Nov. 23.
The Tigers entered the tournament as the No. 31 seed, following an unlikely path to the title game. They opened the scoring early with senior Seth Rao scoring after a corner kick in the sixth minute. Santiago Cuervo scored in the 30th minute, also after a corner kick, to open up a two goal lead. Despite numerous opportunities, Anthony Soto was the lone scorer for St. John’s, netting a second half goal as the Pioneers tried to rally back.
“You always dream of being here,” said Soto, who is a junior. “I know this has been our goal all season, it’s been our goal for the past couple of years, and it’s disappointing we couldn’t lift the trophy. But we had a good season, and we’re proud of what we accomplished.”
The No. 8 seeded St. John’s Pioneers defeated Brookline, Needham, Ludlow and similarly named St. John’s Prep on their path to the title game, their first appearance since winning the championship in 2007 over Framingham. Newton North last appeared in the finals in 2021, falling to Brookline.
This was the second meeting between the two teams in the state finals; they squared off in 2001 with St. John’s a 2-1 victor in that game.
