Sports Roundup: Boys Soccer Wins Home Opener 5-1, Golf Shoots 248 At NGC

This Whaler sports roundup includes a recap of the boys soccer team’s 5-1 victory in their home opener Wednesday afternoon, the golf team who played two more matches – including a match at the Nantucket Golf Club where the young squad continued to show signs of improvement amidst victory, and the volleyball team.

Boys Soccer Explodes For Five Goals In First Win Of The Season

The Whaler boys soccer team had just one goal through their first two games of the season after tying Rising Tide and Falmouth 0-0 and 1-1 respectively to begin the year. Head coach Rich Brannigan II attributed the slow offensive start to some rust he believed could have existed since his team did not have any preseason scrimmages, but was encouraged to see his team score five goals en route to a 5-1 win on Wednesday to improve their record to 1-0-2 through three games.

“I’m definitely happy with the result but I am happier with how the guys played,” Brannigan said. “They’re taking in information and they’re building as a team instead of individuals on the field. That was my message before the game and certainly at halftime. We needed to take that opportunity to work on things and grow in ways where when we play against higher caliber competition, we have created a style of play and rhythm to our play that will help us against that competition in how we attack and control the midfield.”

Freshman Stoyan Popov scored two goals, Elvis Alonzo scored two goals, and Jordan Reyes scored one goal. Brannigan said it has also been a work in progress developing chemistry while being with Jose Diaz, a senior who was one of Nantucket’s most dangerous offensive players last year.

“We’re playing with Jose Diaz right now and he was a focal point from last year,” Brannigan said. “He is a really crafty player, gets in the right spots, scores a good number of goals. He may have been our leading goal scorer last year or close to the top. So we are without him while the guys on the field are trying to blend together and become a strong unit. The upperclassmen aren’t used to playing with Stoyan, we have a few different pieces in the midfield and out wide, so there is that uneasiness that over time, your teammates know where you like the balls, the types of runs your teammates make. Those things all come together the longer you play together, which is why we maybe haven’t had many goal outbursts until (Wednesday).”

Brannigan said the team’s matchup against Falmouth was one where both sides left it all on the field, so he wasn’t surprised to see it so low scoring. As for the match against Rising Tide, Brannigan said the lack of preseason action may have attributed to the zero his team put on the scoreboard.

Up next, the Whalers face a tough challenge when the Barnstable Red Hawks come to the island on Tuesday, September 17 at 4 p.m.

"Barnstable's program has been probably the most improved program on the Cape over the last two or three years," Brannigan said. "So whether they've got the right coach or the right mix of players, there's certainly something good happening over at Barnstable, which is nice to see. It'll be a tough match on Tuesday, but we're looking forward to it."

Golf Shoots Season-Best At Nantucket Golf Club Wednesday

The Nantucket golf team continues to show significant signs of improvement as the season progresses, and on Wednesday they shot a 248 as a team en route to a 248-271 victory over the Sturgis West Navigators at the Nantucket Golf Club.

"So the good thing about (Wednesday) honestly was three out of the six of our top scorers were guys that work at Nantucket Golf Club," head coach Sam Herrick said. "Emil works in guest services. David Foley is a caddy there, TQ works on the grounds. These know the course really, really well. I'm super, super happy with these guys and the progress they've made. They've worked hard and continue to get better."

Below are the Whaler’s scores:

1) David Foley: 39(+3)

2) TQ Scarlett: 40(+4)

3) David Boulter: 40(+4)

4) Ben Freeman: 41(+5)

5) Emil Ivanov: 43(+7)

6) Paxton Fitch: 45(+9)

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7) Hunter Bistany: 46(+10)

8) Edward Tavares: 53(+17)

The victory improved the Whaler’s record to 2-1 on the season, and Nantucket had a quick turnaround on Thursday as they traveled off island for a matchup with the Rising Tide Heron. The Whalers played at Village Links Golf Club in Plymouth, a par three course. They won the match 204-245

Below are the scores from Thursday’s match:

1) David Boulter: 29

2) David Foley: 32

3) TQ Scarlett: 33

4) Ben Freeman: 34

5) Emil Ivanov: 37

6) Hunter Bistany: 39

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7) Paxton Fitch: 41

8) Edward Taveras: 45

"So we were 42 over today compared to 32 over at the Golf Club which you know, today's course was a par three so all good," Herrick said. "Par threes are hard man. You basically got to get on the green and make the putt. If you are playing on a par five you can get on the green in some of them and get two putts to make the birdie. But we had some good scores out there today. I am not afraid to call this start to the year a pleasant surprise given none of them had any varsity experience, and none of them are seniors.

"So much is technical where you know, you don't have to hit driver here or there," Herrick continued. "Remember on the ranch when you hit your four iron 200 yards and this hole is only 300 yards. So if you hit four iron here you're only going to have 100 yards left, and you're going to hit your wedge so you don't need to hit driver. These kids are learning the mental aspect of how to approach each hole. We had some real good scores today too. David Boulter man, that is my guy. He shot a 29 today. Foley shoots 32, TQ 33, Freeman shot a 34 and he even had a triple bogey but bounced back."

Nantucket is now 3-1 this season. Up next, the Whalers will host the Nauset Warriors on Monday, September 16 at 3:45 p.m.

Volleyball Falls To Bridgewater-Raynham 3-1

The Nantucket volleyball team hosted the Bridgewater-Raynham Trojans Wednesday afternoon but lost 3-1. The sets were as followed:

Set 1: 25-12 BR

Set 2: 25-19 BR

Set 3: 25-17 Nantucket

Set 4: 25-16 BR.

The Whalers were led by senior Bianca Santos, who finished with a team-high eight aces and 20 assists. Senior Leah Crowley led the team with six kills and three blocks. Rihanna Cranston had five kills. Mariana Silva had four kills.

Nantucket is now 1-2 this season and will look to get back to .500 when they host the Duxbury Dragons on Saturday, September 14 at 11:30 a.m.

SCHEDULE AHEAD:

Friday, September 13:

The girls soccer team will be on the road facing Carver High School at 3:30 p.m.

Saturday, September 14:

The football team will be on the road facing Carver at 11:30 a.m.

The volleyball team will host the Duxbury Dragons at 11:30 a.m.

The field hockey team will be on the road facing the Marshfield Rams at 12:45 p.m.

The girls soccer team will be on the road facing the St. John Paul II Lions at 1 p.m.

Sunday, September 15:

There are no games currently scheduled.

For more updates on Whaler sports throughout the year, you can follow Nantucket Current Sports on Instagram here or follow Sports Editor David Creed on X here.