Sports Roundup: Boys Soccer Wins Senior Game, Girls Soccer Keeps Playoff Hopes Alive
David Creed •
This Whaler sports roundup includes an update on the boys soccer team after they won their senior game and then tied a tough Cape & Island’s opponent the next day on a penalty kick with time expired, as well as the girls soccer team as they kept their playoff hopes alive.
Popov Leads Whalers Over Dennis-Yarmouth, Helps Tie Nauset
The boys soccer team welcomed the Dennis-Yarmouth Dolphins to the island Monday afternoon as their opponents for the Whaler's senior game, and were able to walk away victorious thanks to sophomore striker Stoyan Popov’s 19th goal of the season that stood as the game winner in a 1-0 win.
"Obviously the W is really important," Whaler head coach Rich Brannigan II said. "It was like pulling teeth to get through the game though. Trying to find the energy, trying to find the willingness to keep working and win. We were just sort of behind the eight ball I felt like all day. But it's good. We're where we wanted to be after our 16th game in the season.
“It was one of Stoyan’s typical goals,” Brannigan continued. “Little burst of speed around the left back, and he beat the goalie it seemed like to the far post with his right foot. It was a good solo run from Stoyan.”
Brannigan said while his defense is dealing with injuries, he felt they were stout in the match while also benefitting from solid play by his two keepers – senior captain Alex Ivilov and sophomore Parker Furtado, who also played out in the field and nearly scored a pair of goals while Ivilov was in net.
“It's good to get Alex confident, continuing to be confident," Brannigan said. Parker, doing what he's done all season. Parker's a dual threat though. He can make a difference on the field. We're really in a position where we need anyone with legs who can run kind of with the injuries."
On Tuesday, the Whalers welcomed the Nauset Warriors to the island for their final home game of the season. Nauset scored the game’s first goal in the final minutes of the first half, and Popov tied the game with his 20th goal of the season in the second half.
With about eight minutes remaining in the match, Nauset scored to make it 2-1 and had the Whalers on the brink of defeat. Nantucket threw everything they had at Nauset in the final minutes – desperately trying to score the equalizer.
As time expired, Aldo Lemus and the Whalers had a penalty kick opportunity after Nauset was called for touching the ball with their hands inside of the box. Lemus drilled the kick and gave Nantucket the game-tying goal to earn the 2-2 tie and improve their record to 11-4-2.
"It was like a gritty kind of day," Brannigan said. "It was really nasty conditions, but we created some really good chances in the 80 minutes. I was really happy with Stoyan's play, Aldo's play, (Alexis) Pena had some opportunities. Alex (Anguelov) did a really good job coming up from JV."
Nantucket is currently the #29 seed in the latest MIAA Division 3 state tournament bracket. The bracket came out prior to their tie with Nauset however, who is #39 in the bracket. The Whalers will close their regular season out on Wednesday, October 29th on the road against the Monomoy Sharks, who are the #24 seed in Division 4, at 4 p.m.
Girls Soccer Still Alive In Tournament Picture
The Whaler girls soccer team earned a 5-2 victory on the road against Diman Vocational/Technical High School but more importantly, kept their playoff hopes alive after improving their record to 6-7-3 with two games to play.
Senior Myah Johnson had two goals. Senior Chelsea Gross had one goal and one assist. Senior Sutton LeBrecht and junior Emma Woodbury each had one goal. Sophomore Harper LeBrecht had three assists.
Nantucket needs to win at least one game and then either win or tie the other game in order to finish their regular season with a .500 record or better, which would qualify them for a play-in game in the preliminary round despite being outside of the Division 3 tournament bracket's top 32.
Nantucket’s final two games will be:
- Home against Monomoy High School on Wednesday, October 29th at 4 p.m. Nantucket tied Monomoy 1-1 on the road September 12th. This is also the Whaler's senior game at the Nobadeer Farm Road turf fields.
- On the road against St. John Paul II High School on Thursday, October 30th at 3:30 p.m. Nantucket tied SJP 1-1 at home on September 18th.
SCHEDULE AHEAD:
Wednesday, October 29th:
The girls soccer team will host the Monomoy Sharks for their senior game at 4 p.m. The game will be played at the Nobadeer Farm Road Turf Fields.
The boys soccer team will be on the road playing Monomoy at 4 p.m.
Thursday, October 30th:
The girls soccer team will close out their season with a road matchup against the St. John Paul II Lions at 3:30 p.m.
For more Whaler sports coverage, photos, and updates, follow the Current Sports Instagram page here. To view the MIAA power rankings for each team, click here.