Sports Roundup: Boys Soccer Clinches Spot In State Tournament For 20th Consecutive Season
David Creed •
This Whaler sports roundup includes updates on the boys soccer team, who just completed a stretch of three games in three days as we approach state tournament time, the girls soccer team, and the volleyball team.
Boys Soccer Beats DY, Loses To Monomoy
The Nantucket boys soccer team split a pair of games this week and are now 7-2-4 this season following a 3-2 victory over the Dennis-Yarmouth Dolphins at home Wednesday afternoon and then a 1-0 loss to the Monomoy Sharks on Thursday.
The Whaler’s seventh win also clinched them their 20th consecutive state tournament appearance since it guarantees they will finish with no worse than a .500 record with five games remaining.
"The guys are really doing good," head coach Rich Brannigan II said. "Our defense is hard to beat. We don't give up a lot of goals, and when we can score a few, we're going to be in the most games."
In the Whaler’s match against the Dolphins, DY got the scoring going in the game’s 24th minute, but the Whalers exploded for three goals in six minutes to take a 3-1 lead into halftime.
The first goal was scored by freshman Aldo Lemus, who sprinted up the left sideline and struck a ball to the top right corner of the net one minute after DY’s goal to make it 1-1.
The second goal was a beautiful one touch strike by Anderson Diaz to make it 2-1 with 10:17 to go in the first half.
The third goal was scored by senior captain Jake Johnson off a crosser from Lemus to make it 3-1 with 9:13 to go in the half.
The Dolphins made it a 3-2 game with 18 minutes left in regulation and had several chances in the game’s final minutes with Nantucket pegged in their own end. But the Whalers were able to hang on to earn a one-goal victory in the second game of a back-to-back.
Brannigan said he has enjoyed seeing the depth of his team on full display as the season has progressed as well, with several freshman and sophomores filling key roles for the team as they prepare for another state tournament run.
"More guys are playing more positions this year," Brannigan said. “It's not as much as a you swap for him and it's a like to like swap. There's a lot of moving and adjusting, which is good because that experience should pay dividends as we go forward.”
The Whalers then hosted the Monomoy Sharks on Thursday, who are the #22 seed in the latest MIAA power rankings. Nantucket lost 1-0, and Brannigan said he felt like his team just didn’t have their usual legs.
"Third game in three days and it showed," Brannigan said. "The playing conditions were crummy. Our legs were heavy. We didn't really find each other in the midfield, which we dominated when we went over there two weeks ago. We dominated with six, seven, eight, 10, 12 passes, and we didn't have it (today). It was like three, four passes max, lose possession. We didn't have the midfield. We didn't win in the midfield, and that was really the difference in the game.”
Nantucket will host Falmouth Academy on Saturday, October 19 at 12:30 p.m. It is also the Whaler’s senior day game.
Girls Soccer Shuts Out Monomoy
The Nantucket girls soccer team improved to 7-3-3 this season following a 2-0 victory over the Monomoy Sharks Thursday afternoon. Junior Myah Johnson, who is in the midst of a fantastic breakout season, scored both goals for the Whalers.
Head coach Doug LeBrecht said the first goal was off a 50 yard crosser from senior captain Adney Brannigan, and the second goal was a 40 yard strike from Johnson.
The Whalers are currently the #18 seed in the latest Div. 4 state tournament bracket and will try to improve their record to 8-3-3 on Saturday, October 19 at 11 a.m. when they travel to face Falmouth Academy at 11 a.m.
Volleyball Loses To St. John Paul II
The Whaler volleyball team lost to the St. John Paul II Lions 3-1 on Thursday – dropping their record to 5-12 this season. The Whalers were led by senior Leah Crowley and junior Mariana Silva who had five aces; sophomore Viktoria Bozhkova, senior Rihanna Cranston, and Crowley each had two kills; and senior captain and libero Vicky Todorova had 14 digs.
The sets from the match were as followed.
Set One: 21-25 SJP
Set Two: 25-22 Nantucket
Set Three: 20-25 SJP
Set Four: 16-25 SJP
Nantucket will try to get back in the win column when they travel on Saturday, October 19 to face Archbishop Williams at 12:30 p.m.
SCHEDULE AHEAD:
Friday, October 18:
The football team will host the St. John Paul II Lions at 5:30 p.m.
Saturday, October 19:
The boys soccer team will be at home facing Falmouth Academy at 11:30 a.m.
The girls soccer team will be on the road facing Falmouth Academy at 11 a.m.
The volleyball team will be on the road facing Archbishop Williams at 12:30 p.m.
Sunday, October 20:
The field hockey team will host Marshfield High School at 11:30 a.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.