Fernando DaSilva
Graduating class: 1994
Inducted into Hall of Fame: 2025
Hall of Fame Category: Athlete
Filling a void with his all-around skills or filling the net with soccer balls from either foot, Fernando DaSilva was coach Sam Galvam’s “go-to guy” on the soccer pitch. With graduation having taken several battle-tested veterans from a very good 1991 team, DaSilva was Coach Galvam’s choice to lead a young Blue Devils’ team into what he hoped would be at least a .500 season.
Thanks to their junior stud, the ’92 team finished second to champion Greater New Bedford Regional Voc-Tech in a competitive South Coast Conference race and advanced to the Division Sectional semifinal round of the postseason tournament before being eliminated by undefeated and heavily-favored Medway, 6-1.
Plagued by injuries throughout the season, DaSilva appeared in just 13 games but still managed to score 24 goals and add 14 assists, justifying the praise of his coach who called him “the heart and soul of this young team.”
After guiding the Blue Devils through a stronger-than-expected regular season, DaSilva put on a show in the first round of the Division 2 South Sectional Tournament by figuring in all three goals of a 3-0 victory. His pinpoint pass to a streaking Dave Simmons turned into a 1-0 lead when the latter’s low, hard shot bounded off the goalie’s leg and into the left corner of the net for a 1-0 lead at the 5:15 mark of the first half.
DaSilva then put the game out of reach with a pair of goals less than three minutes apart early in the second half to send his team into the second round for the second year in a row. And for the second consecutive postseason the game was played at neutral Apponequet High School when Fairhaven’s home field was deemed unplayable. Following a scoreless first half Sharon scored twice in the second half to end Fairhaven’s season, 2-0.
In his senior year, DaSilva was asked to play a couple of positions and, not surprisingly, his performance at both was near perfection resulting in a return trip to the postseason tournament. After a comfortable win over Cape Cod Tech in the opening round, the next performance of the “Fernando Magic Show” came in the quarterfinal round when the Blue Devils edged Medfield, 3-2, in overtime.
Fairhaven had to come from behind twice, tying the score at 1-1 on DaSilva’s penalty kick in the first half and winning the game on his bullet-like blast at 3:57 of the overtime period. In between, Simmons tied the game at 2 when he converted a DaSilva pass into a goal at 35:19 of the second half.
DaSilva figured in Fairhaven’s only goal in a 6-1 loss to Medway in the semi- finals when his indirect kick ricocheted to Kevin Lincoln who it into the net. DaSilva finished the season with 28 goals and 18 assists and was, again, named to The Standard-Times All-Star Team.
In addition to soccer, DaSilva also earned all-star honors in track. He won the 50-yard hurdles event at the South Coast Conference Championships (:6.7), the GNB Voc-Tech Invitational (:6.6) and was a consistent point-getter in the high jump events.