Sports Roundup: Field Hockey Still Undefeated, Improves To 5-0
David Creed •
This Whaler sports roundup includes updates on the field hockey team after they continued their undefeated streak to start the season, the girls soccer team after earning a tie against a Cape & Island’s rival, the boys soccer team after a road victory, the golf team, and the volleyball team.
Field Hockey Beats Westport, Barnstable
The Whaler field hockey team is 5-0 following a 4-1 victory on the road against Westport High School on Wednesday and a 3-1 victory over Barnstable High School on the island Thursday afternoon.
Against Westport, senior Sadie Paterson scored a pair of goals while Evie Phelps and Marin Mooney each scored one goal as well. In their home matchup against Barnstable, Paterson, Mooney, and Phelps each scored another goal and continue to anchor a balanced Nantucket attack.
In the Whaler’s five game win streak to start the season, they began the year with a 5-3 victory over Falmouth and since then, have allowed just two goals in four games – with senior goalie Shelbi Harimon earning two shutouts. They have outscored their opponents (Nauset, Martha’s Vineyard, Westport, and Barnstable) 13-2.
Nantucket will have some time off before they attempt to continue their winning ways and improve to 6-0 when they travel to Dennis-Yarmouth to play the Dolphins on Friday, September 26th at 3:30 p.m.
Girls Soccer Ties SJP
The Whaler girls soccer team earned a hard-fought 1-1 tie at the Nobadeer Turf Field Thursday afternoon against the St. John Paul II Lions. While head coach Doug LeBrecht always wants to win, he felt his team played a great game and is pleased with how they’re playing while tipping his cap to the SJP squad.
"They're a very, very good team," LeBrecht said of SJP. "I was psyched to come off the past couple losses and tie and to see our team to do that today, everybody was fired up. In that second half, we won every single 50/50 ball. Every ball, which was awesome to see."
SJP was able to score the game’s first goal with just under 14 minutes to play in the first half on a penalty kick. Whaler goalie Madden Myers guessed right and dove to the side of the shot, but it just barely snuck underneath her. Aside from that goal, Myers and the Whaler defense were sharp and impenetrable.
“Madden was hard on herself after the Vineyard game (on Sunday, 3-1 loss) and I was so proud of how she played today,” LeBrecht said. “She guessed right on that penalty kick, and to see her attitude today and hear her the entire time, I was so happy to see her play the way she did today.”
LeBrecht said his backs played well to keep SJP to one goal. On Nantucket’s lone goal of the afternoon with just over 22 minutes left in the second half, he credited Sutton LeBrecht for deflecting the goal kick which led to the ball finding senior captain Chelsea Gross, who made a great play to get the ball to Myah Johnson who buried it.
"Our backs played great," LeBrecht said. "I didn't have a great game as far as subbing. I didn't put anybody in other than the injuries, and I explained to them it wasn't a reflection on them. They got us to this point; I just can't relinquish anything right now. I told them that was on me, just because I don't want to lose morale. We had the best game we had; I don't want to lose morale because I didn't put enough people in.”
Through six games, Nantucket is 1-3-2 in their first season as a Division 3 team. LeBrecht said he feels good about how his team looks through the first third of the season.
"We are where I thought we'd be," LeBrecht said. "No one's blowing us out. No one has shut us down. We're scoring every game. We're right there. It is just a matter of finding the right combination and we started doing it today up top. We switched some stuff up and we got a lot of pressure on (net). I feel good. It is not our best record, but ties don't hurt.”
Nantucket will be back in action on Saturday, September 20th when they host the Abington Green Wave at 11 a.m. at the Nobadeer Turf Fields.
Boys Soccer Beats DY On The Road
The Whaler boys soccer team followed up a 1-0 victory on the road against Martha’s Vineyard on Sunday with a dominant 4-0 victory over the Dennis-Yarmouth Dolphins Thursday afternoon on the road.
Sophomore striker Stoyan Popov opened the scoring in the first 10 minutes of the match, and the 1-0 Whaler lead is what was taken into halftime. Nantucket scored two quick goals in the 12th and 20th minutes. Calvin Guevera scored both of these goals – one on a corner kick and the other on a penalty kick.
Nantucket added a bonus goal in the 75th minute on a penalty kick by Popov, his third of the game.
Whaler head coach Rich Brannigan II said Edvin Valentukevicius and Denzel Tejada played solid defense in the shutout.
The Whalers are now 3-3 this season and will try to climb above .500 when they travel to Abington to play the Green Wave on Wednesday, September 24th at 3:30 p.m.
Golf Splits Matches
The Whaler golf team split a pair of matches to conclude a hectic four matches in four days stretch – losing to the St. John Paul II Lions 233-246 and then beating the Rising Tide Herons 217-233 on Thursday in a road matchup. Below are the scores for each golfer.
At Home Against St. John Paul II:
David Foley – 37
Ben Freeman – 41
Edward Taveras – 41
Emil Ivanov – 42
TQ Scarlett – 42
David Boulter – 43
Colby Lucas – 44
Baer O’Banion – 44
On The Road Against Rising Tide:
Ben Freeman – 31
Hunter Bistany – 35
Emil Ivanov – 35
David Foley – 37
Baer O’Banion – 39
Paxton Fitch – 40
Colby Lucas – 40
Jake Grant – 41
Nantucket is now 5-2 this season and they will finally have some time to catch their breath before their next match, which is currently scheduled for Monday, September 22nd at 3:30 p.m.
Volleyball Loses To Sturgis East
The Whaler volleyball team started their match against the Sturgis East Storm on Wednesday at Nantucket High School strong – winning the first set 25-18 – but ultimately lost the match 3-1.
The second and third sets saw Sturgis win 25-9 and 25-15 respectively, but the third set was well within the Whaler’s grasp as they led 20-12 before the Storm made a comeback.
Mariana Silva and Viki Bozhkova each had a team-high four aces. Quinn Canty and Silva each had a team-high three kills. Canty also added three blocks while Manu Coelho led Nantucket with nine assists.
The Whalers are now 1-3 this season and they will try to get back in the win column when they travel to play Abington on Saturday, September 20th at 11 a.m.
SCHEDULE AHEAD:
Friday, September 19th:
There are no games scheduled for this day.
Saturday, September 20th:
The girls soccer team will host Abington High School at 11 a.m.
The football team will host Blackstone Valley Regional/Technical High School at 1:30 p.m.
The volleyball team will be on the road playing Abington at 11 a.m.
Sunday, September 21st:
There are no games scheduled for Sunday, September 21st.
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