Homecoming Sports Roundup: Boys Soccer, Field Hockey Earn Wins

This Whaler Sports Roundup includes updates on the boys soccer team and field hockey team following wins over Martha's Vineyard, a cross country runner who set a new school record, the girls soccer team, the football team, and the volleyball team.

Popov’s Goal Lifts Boys Soccer Over Martha’s Vineyard

A late second half goal by freshman Stoyan Popov proved to be the game winner and clinch a 2-1 victory for the Nantucket boys soccer team over Martha’s Vineyard on Saturday. The game was also a milestone moment for assistant coach Caleb Gomes, who filled in for head coach Rich Brannigan II and picked up his first career varsity win.

“We had four games this week and a majority of our starters played every minute of those games so it was a really gritty game for them today too,” Gomes said. “The boys stepped up, they played really well together and it was shaky at first, but we trusted in one another.”

Along with Popov, senior Ryan Coleman also scored a goal in the match. Gomes was complimentary of Popov’s play in the crucial moments down the stretch.

“That was such a good goal by Stoyan as a freshman, playing against seniors and guys so much older than him after playing so much this past week,” Gomes said. “It was a great effort.”

The Whalers are now 3-1-4 this season and are currently the #15 seed in the Div. 4 state tournament bracket. They will try to keep this momentum going when they host Sturgis West on Tuesday, October 1 at 4 p.m.

Field Hockey Blows Out Martha’s Vineyard

The Nantucket field hockey team had another strong performance on Saturday – beating their island rival Martha’s Vineyard 7-0 to improve their record to 7-1-1 this season.

Nantucket got their goal scoring from a variety of players. Sophomore Evelyn Phelps, junior Sadie Paterson, and senior Claire Genthner each scored one goal. Junior Clementine Kelly and senior Sam Zadroga each had two goals.

The Whaler’s strong start to the season has them well-positioned in the first Div. 4 state tournament standings of the fall season. They are currently the #9 seed, and their only loss so far came at the hands of the Monomoy Sharks, who are the #2 seed with a 7-0-1.

Nantucket will try to win their eighth game of the season and fourth straight when they host the Sharks for a rematch on Wednesday, October 2 at 3:45 p.m.

Rory Murray Breaks School’s 5K Record

The boys cross country hit the road for homecoming weekend to compete in the Bay State Invitational, and senior captain Rory Murray broke the Nantucket High School 5K record after running a 17:43. The previous record was set by Aidan McCormack in 2020, when he ran a 17:46.

The other times earned by Whaler runners are below.

Rory Murray: 17:43

Dorian Manov: 19:08 (PR)

Jack Harris: 22:38 (PR)

Numa Solano: 23:40

Nick Ferrantella: 23:38 (PR)

Boris Boychev: 26:27

Finnley Seip: 23:21

Iain MacIver: 33:00 PR

The Whalers next meet is scheduled for Tuesday, October 1 on the road against Falmouth High School at 3:15 p.m.

Girls Soccer Splits Pair Of Home Games

The Nantucket girls soccer team split a pair of home games this weekend. They beat the Dennis-Yarmouth Dolphins 6-1 on Friday and lost to Martha’s Vineyard 5-2 on Saturday.

The Whalers are 4-2-2 this season and are well-positioned in the first Div. 4 state tournament bracket of their season. They are currently ranked #16. If they are able to hold onto that spot or climb higher in the standings, they would clinch a home game in the first round of the tournament.

Nantucket will look to get back on track when they travel to Sturgis West to take on the Navigators on Tuesday, October 1 at 3 p.m.

Football Loses To Sandwich At Home

The Whaler football team lost to the Sandwich Blue Knights 33-0 on Saturday at Vito Capizzo Stadium – their third consecutive loss of the season.

“We gave up too many chunk plays,” head coach Reese Everett said. “That is where we got lost. We had them pinned back a few times where it was third and 20. Those are the situations we need to capitalize in and we didn’t today. Hopefully we can keep the ball rolling and get back to it next week.

“We are still finding our identity and finding our rhythm,” Everett continued. “A bad game for us but for us coaches, we are still learning a lot about our athletes."

The Whaler’s next game is on the road against the Nauset Warriors on Friday, October 4 at 4:15 p.m.

"We have to continue to bring it up a notch,” Everett said. “Nauset is a Div. 4 program and Sandwich is a Div. 6 school. Our competition is only going to get harder from here, so we are just going to continue to fight and prove that Nantucket Whaler football is a force to be reckoned with.”

Volleyball Loses To Archbishop Williams

The Whaler volleyball team lost to Archbishop Williams 3-1 on Saturday - dropping their record to 1-8 this season. They were led by senior Rihanna Cranston who had 10 kills, junior Mariana Silva who had four aces, senior Bianca Santos who had 19 assists, and senior captain Vicky Todorova who had 39 digs.

Below are the sets:

Set One: 12-25 Archbishop Williams

Set Two: 25-19 Nantucket

Set Three: 17-25 Archbishop Williams

Set Four: 15-25 Archbishop Williams

Nantucket will try to snap their eight game losing streak on Monday, September 30 when they travel to Cape Cod Academy for a 3:30 p.m. matchup.

SCHEDULE AHEAD:

Monday, September 30:

The golf team will host Monomoy at 4 p.m.

The volleyball team will be on the road facing Cape Cod Academy at 3:30 p.m.

Tuesday, October 1:

The golf team will be at home facing Rising Tide at 3:45 p.m.,

The boys soccer team will be at home facing Sturgis West at 4 p.m.,

The girls soccer team will be on the road facing Sturgis West at 3 p.m.

The cross country team will be on the road facing Falmouth at 3:15 p.m.

For more updates on Whaler sports throughout the year, you can:

Follow Nantucket Current Sports on Instagram here.

Follow Sports Editor David Creed on X here.

Follow Sports Photographer Chris Tran on Instagram here.