Boys, Girls Lacrosse Earn Blowout Victories, Advance In State Tournament

The Nantucket boys and girls lacrosse teams began their state tournament journeys Monday afternoon on the island, and both were able to walk away with convincing, blowout victories.

The two teams played back-to-back with the boys, ranked #1 in their Div. 4 state tournament bracket, facing #32 Littleton at 1:30 p.m. while the girls, ranked #2 in their Div. 4 state tournament bracket, faced #34 Hampshire at 4:30 p.m.

The boys beat Littleton 19-3 while the girls beat Hampshire 16-0. Both teams are led by talented senior cores and girls lacrosse senior captain Bailey Lower as well as boys lacrosse senior captain Michael Culkins said the two teams find this year to be extra special given the success both squads are having simultaneously.

“I definitely think that our efforts over the years have paid off and it’s really cool to see both teams be ranked so high our senior year,” Lower said. “Both the girls team and the boys team have been playing together since 5th grade if not longer, and we all want to see each other go all the way. It’s really special how much both programs have grown and that we can play together one last time with such high hopes and support from the community.”

“Throughout all of our lax careers the girls team and ours have been very supportive but competitive with each other,” Culkins said. “We use each other as competition to motivate and push ourselves to be the best lacrosse players we can be. The fact that both teams have worked so hard and accomplished so much side by side says a lot. The chance for both of us to bring home a state title for the island is what we have all dreamed of since we first picked up the sticks. I couldn’t think of a better way to end of my senior year at Nantucket High.”

As for the Monday matchups, girls lacrosse head coach Jami Lower said in a game where there were no passengers and everyone contributed, senior goalie Claire Misurelli impressed her after recording her first career shutout and stood out amongst her teammates.

"She was really psyched about it, and she's been working quietly towards it, so it was cool to see that," Lower said of Misurelli and her shutout performance. "She stayed on her toes even when the ball was in the other end for the majority of the game. That's a hard thing to do. She stayed on her toes. She had some great eight-meter saves. She's proving herself to be more and more of a contributor on the clears too being that middleman and kind of moving the ball up and seeing the field and being a leader that way too. She stood out. I think otherwise, it was a total team effort. We played as a team.”

As for the boys, Aloisi expressed his appreciation for his team not playing down to competition or taking a lower seed lightly. He said moving forward they need to play with that same level of intensity and focus – understanding no win is an easy win come tournament time.

"That's the biggest challenge for (Monday) and possibly (Wednesday) is staying elevated against the lesser team,” Aloisi said. “They did (on Monday). It was awesome because a couple of times at the beginning of the year, Barnstable at home in particularly, they didn't. They played right down (to the competition).”

The girls were led by Bailey Lower, who finished with five goals and four assists, as well as senior Emerson Pekarcik, who finished with five goals and an assist. The Whalers also got a strong performance from senior Cydney Mosscrop (two goals and three assists).

Juniors Mayson Lower, Maddie Lombardi, and Claire Genthner each scored one goal.

As for the boys, the scoring depth that helped them win their final 14 regular season games was on full display. Seniors Colby O’Keefe and Paddy Carroll, as well as sophomore Arann Hanlon finished with three goals. Five other players – all seniors – recorded one goal including Cole Chambers, Jack Halik, Michael Culkins, Ryan Davis, and Kinnick King.

Looking ahead, both teams will continue their state tournament runs together once again, side by side, with another back-to-back scheduled for Wednesday, June 5 on the island.

The girls will kick things off at 1:45 p.m. when they welcome #15 Fairhaven to Nantucket. Fairhaven beat #18 Georgetown 19-10 in the Round of 32 and finished their regular season with a 10-8 record. The Whalers finished their regular season undefeated with a 20-0 record.

The boys will welcome #16 Winthrop to the island for a 4:30 p.m. matchup. Winthrop beat #17 Tyngsborough 16-9 in the Round of 32 and finished their regular season with an 11-7 record. Nantucket finished with a record of 16-1.

For updates on these teams moving forward, follow us on Instagram here or check back in with nantucketcurrent.com as updates become available. You can check out the state tournament brackets by clicking here.