Sports Roundup: Field Hockey Ties Nauset
David Creed •
This Whaler sports roundup includes updates on the field hockey team after they tied a familiar Cape & Island foe, the girls soccer team after a tough loss on Saturday, and the football team after a road loss.
Field Hockey Ties Nauset For Second Time This Season
The Nantucket field hockey team hosted the Nauset Warriors Friday afternoon for the second meeting of the season between the two clubs after they tied 2-2 at Nauset on September 18th. The Whalers and Warriors second matchup also ended with a tie, this time by a score of 1-1. Nantucket’s goal was scored by junior Sadie Paterson and assisted by senior captain Suz Peraner. Nantucket’s record is now 7-2-2 this season.
“We carried the play, but I thought it was pretty evenly matched,” head coach Dan Weber said. “I will be curious to see where that team is two years down the road. They have some good, young players and a new coach that really seems to know what she’s doing. But obviously we would like to take the win. I think with how good we have been this season, losing one and then tieing back-to-back feels a little odd.
“We played well I just think there are two things. If we finish in front of the net and are slightly more disciplined on defense, we will be fine. So it is stuff that is fixable. We had opportunities we need to finish and not give up corners. Everything in between that was great. The finishing in particularly could turn around in a corner. It is like any other sport where sometimes you just get into a slump, the ball isn’t bouncing your way, but you get something to go your way and suddenly you’re out of it.”
After a back and forth first half, the Whalers and Warriors remained scoreless through the game’s first 30 minutes.
The Whalers carried the play for most of the game, and came out with lots of pressure in Nauset’s end of the field to begin the third. But the Warriors countered with some pressure of their own in the third’s final minutes. Junior goalie Shelbi Harimon made a pair of saves to keep the game scoreless, and then at the other end of the field it was Paterson scoring the game’s first goal to make it 1-0 Whalers with 3 seconds left in the third.
Nauset earned a pair of corners three minutes into the final quarter and ultimately scored the equalizer with 11:16 to go in the game. Harimon made some key stops throughout the second half - including a pair of leg saves in the final four minutes. Despite a last second corner opportunity for Nantucket, neither side was able to score the go-ahead goal - resulting in the second tie in as many games featuring these two teams.
“Shelbi was good on Wednesday (against Monomoy) too,” Weber said. “I think we went through a few games where she just wasn’t seeing a lot of shots and not like you forget about her, but we haven’t seen her really flash the pad because she hasn’t needed to. But this has been a reminder of how rock solid she is back there and how dependable she is.”
The Whalers now have until Thursday, October 10 to rest up before hosting the St. John Paul II Lions at 3:45 p.m., who Nantucket beat 2-0 on the road September 24. You can view more photos from Friday's game here.
Girls Soccer Loses 3-2 To Falmouth
The Whaler girls soccer team was the lone varsity sports team in action on Saturday - hosting the Falmouth Clippers for a weekend matinee matchup. It is the first and only matchup between the two programs this season. Nantucket was without senior captain Adney Brannigan in a 3-2 defeat.
“Considering our injuries and the division (Falmouth) is in, we could score on them when we couldn’t score on them last year,” head coach Doug LeBrecht said. “This year we went up and came back at 2-2. We didn’t have as many finishers but had some good pressure.”
The Whalers began the scoring early when junior Myah Johnson created some separation from a defender and was able to get a shot off from about 20 yards out. The Clipper’s keeper made the save but allowed a rebound that junior Sutton LeBrecht as able to pounce on and bury 10 minutes into the game to make it 1-0 Nantucket.
With just over 15 minutes remaining in the first half, Falmouth was able to generate their first goal after jumping on a loose ball following a rebound to make it 1-1. That score stood heading into halftime.
Five minutes into the second half, Johnson buried one to make it a 2-1 game. Then with 24 minutes remaining in the match, Falmouth tied it back up 2-2 on a free kick. Then with just over eight minutes left to play, Falmouth jumped on another loose ball and scored the go-ahead goal to make it 3-2 and seal the win for Falmouth.
“I was really happy with Gabby (Nikolov) today. She did really well,” LeBrecht said. “They were on it. They were all over finding Chelsea (Gross) wherever she went.”
Nantucket is now 5-3-3 this season. Their next game is scheduled for Monday, October 7th on the road against the Dennis-Yarmouth Dolphins, who the Whalers beat 6-1 on September 27th. You can view more photos from this game by clicking here.
Football Loses To Nauset On The Road
The Nantucket football team lost to the Nauset Warriors 28-14 on Friday, dropping their record to 1-4 this season.
The Whalers jumped out to an early 7-6 lead after junior wide receiver Arann Hanlon returned the kickoff my Nauset following their first score to the house to give his team a brief lead, but the Warriors scored 28 unanswered points to take a commanding 28-7 lead into the fourth quarter.
Nantucket senior captain Owen Sullivan grabbed an interception in with about 10 minutes remaining in the final quarter, and sophomore running back David Guillen-Taveras scored on a 28-yard run to make it 28-14.
But Nauset got the ball back and was able to slowly advance down the field while taking time off the clock. The Whaler’s bid at coming back was a bit too late, and they now shift their focus to Thursday, October 10 when they host the Dennis-Yarmouth Dolphins at 5:30 p.m. Nantucket will be trying to snap a four-game losing streak and earn their first win since the 14-7 season opening victory against Cardinal Spellman on September 7.
SCHEDULE AHEAD:
Monday, October 7:
The boys soccer team will host Dennis-Yarmouth at 4 p.m.
The girls soccer team will be on the road facing Dennis-Yarmouth at 4 p.m.
The volleyball team will be on the road facing Barnstable at 4 p.m.
Tuesday, October 8:
The golf team will be at home facing Dennis-Yarmouth at 3:45 p.m.
The cross-country team will be on the road facing Sturgis East at 4 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.