LYNN — Daniel Cortes and Kevin Molina helped lead the Lynn Classical boys soccer team to a 11-3-6 record, a Northeastern Conference title and a state tournament run in 2018, and now the two seniors will take their talents to the next level after committing to play soccer in college. Cortes will attend Salem State University, while Molina will head off to Westfield State University.
Classical coach Eric Moreno, who only got to work with the duo for one season after being hired last year, saw right away the kind of impact Molina and Cortes had both on and off the field.
“Both of those guys really led by example all year long,” said Moreno. “They were the main backbone in the middle of the field for us, and they brought the intensity every single game. Having guys with that kind of skill and drive really helped us do some good things last year.”
Cortes, who was a first-team All-Conference performer at goalkeeper, held the team together on the back end. If his save percentage of 77 percent wasn’t impressive enough, look no further than his eight shutout performances.
“He’s a very special kid, there’s a reason why Salem State was interested in him — that’s a tough program and a lot of kids want to play there,” said Moreno. “He always had our backs last year, if anyone ever made a mistake they felt a little better knowing that Daniel was back there in net. He made some incredible saves last year, game-changing saves in a lot of cases.”
“I think the biggest thing for us last year was our chemistry, we really came together and sacrificed for each other and I think that’s why we played so well,” Cortes said of his final year at Classical. “As a team captain, it was a privilege leading those guys and it was really satisfying to have such a good season because I know the amount of work we put into it.”
Cortes will be staying very local at Salem State, a decision made easier by the fact that he already knows some of the players on the team.
“They have some great players there, and I already know some of the guys so there’s some chemistry already,” Cortes said. “They have a great coach who really wanted me to play there, and I just really felt welcomed from the second they showed interest.”
Molina, a defensive midfielder, was named a NEC All-Star in his final high school season as well. Molina only netted three goals and one assist on the offensive end, but it was his defensive prowess that made him an all-star.
“He’s so skilled with the ball, and he always brings that physicality to the position,” Moreno said of Molina. “He’s always winning balls, and when players try to take the ball from him he can keep them away with his skill and vision. Having a guy like that on the back end is really crucial.”
“Individually, I just played way smarter this past year,” said Molina. “I worked on things like positioning and it really paid off. As a team, the fact that we won the NEC after having losing seasons was the best thing of all.”
Molina’s decision to attend Westfield State wasn’t a tough one, as it was simply a perfect fit. Not only did the coaching staff make Molina feel at home right away, but Westfield also runs the same defensive system as Classical — a 4-3-3 defense — and has been looking for a defensive midfielder like Molina.
“They have a good core of young guys already, and the chemistry felt like it was already there to be honest,” Molina said of Westfield. “The coaching staff is great and they’ve been looking for a player at my position, so it all fit together really well.”
Moreno hopes that the younger players in his program will see what Cortes and Molina accomplished at Classical and strive to earn college scholarships themselves.
“When I took the job at Classical, it was about setting a tone and creating a culture,” Moreno said. “We’ve always had very talented players in the city and in the program, and now having our younger guys see two of their teammates go on to play at the next level will hopefully give them the motivation to work to get to that point.”
