Carpenito, Keefe, Named Tewksbury High Soccer Coaches

has been busy this summer filling several head coaching vacancies, most notably those of both the boys and girls soccer programs.

TMHS boys lacrosse coach Tom Carpenito has accepted the assignment of replacing , as only the second head coach in the history of the boys' program. Levine, who started soccer at Tewksbury High in the 1970's, retired in June after 35 years as the team's only coach.

Carpenito has been a math teacher at the high school for six years, and has coached the school's lacrosse team since 2008. He will vacate his lacrosse coaching position.

Carpenito, a 1983 graduate of , played for Levine from 1981-1983. As a senior, Carpenito helped the Redmen win the Merrimack Valley Conference championship and advance all the way to the Division 2 state finals before losing to Duxbury in the championship game.

"It's an honor to replace a guy like Steve, especially after having played for him," Carpenito said. "I had a great experience playing for him."

Carpenito scored a goal on a penalty kick in perhaps one of the most memorable games in Tewksbury High soccer history, as the Redmen beat Andover for the 1983 conference championship in a game played on the infield of the high school's former running track, which is now the site of the new high school building.

"They place was packed," Carpenito recalled. "They lined the field inside the track and dragged the goals over there. We had cheerleaders and everything that day. I'm hoping we can recreate some of that excitement again."

Carpenito, however, will have a tough act to follow. Levine's final team featured almost exclusively seniors, as the Only three letterwinners return.

Senior Alex Bouthot and Andy Chabak will co-captain the team. Bouthot, the team's goal keeper, was an all-conference selection as a junior last year.

"We've got our work cut out for us," Carpenito said. "But they say you build from the back, and with an all-conference goaltender coming back, we've got a good place to start."

Kevin Gillotte will coach the junior varsity squad and 2011 graduate Johnny DiGiorgio (UMass-Lowell) will be assisting Carpenito.

KEEFE TAKES GIRLS REIGNS

Jeff Keefe, a 2002 graduate of Billerica High School, will also have big shoes to fill as he takes over for Kelly Barrio, who left the Tewksbury school system after one highly-successful season as the girls soccer coach.

Barrio turned around a struggling program and Barrio resigned her teaching position in June for personal reasons.

Keefe played both lacrosse and soccer at Billerica High School, and was a member of the Indians' 2001 state championship lacrosse team. He also played on an MVC championship soccer team in his junior year.

Keefe is a 2010 graduate of Framingham State College, and he worked last year as a teacher's aide at the Wynn Middle School in Tewksbury.

Keefe has coached girls lacrosse at Marian Catholic High School in Framingham for the past three years and he will continue in that role.

Keefe inherits a very young, but very talented TMHS girls team that features two of the Merrimack Valley Conference's most dangerous strikers in junior Nicole Chaet and sophomore Aly Spencer. Juniors Rebecca Davies (keeper) and Caitlyn Ludka (defender) also return as starter's. Ludka will co-captain the team along with Chaet and senior Jordyn LeBlanc.

Sophomores Kelly Quigley and Sara Semenza, both midfielders, also return as starters.

"I don't know much about the team but Brian (Hickey) tells me we've got some talented kids coming back," Keefe said. "I'm looking forward to getting started and seeing how the kids react and seeing how much they can do, and we'll roll from there."

Tewksbury native Erica Matranga will remain as the girls junior varsity coach.