Whaler Sports Roundup May 15 & 16, 2023

There were four varsity teams in action to begin the week, with girls lacrosse earning an impressive comeback win, boys lacrosse splitting a pair of games, and girls tennis going on the road to earn a convincing victory. The baseball team also received some exciting news on where they will be playing the final two home games on their schedule.

Girls Lacrosse Rides Dominant Second Half To Win Over Falmouth

After 25 minutes of game action, it appeared the Whaler girls lacrosse team could be on their way to their second consecutive loss. They trailed the Falmouth Clippers 6-3 at halftime and were not able to generate much offense.

But the defense held Falmouth in check enough to keep the Whalers within reach. Thanks to a combination of that strong defense continuing into the second half and an offense that found its rhythm, Nantucket dominated the final 25 minutes - outscoring the Clippers 7-1 - to hand Falmouth a 10-7 defeat.

“I think in the first half they were trying to do things as individuals,” head coach Jami Lower said. “I said at halftime if they want to win this game, they need to start working together and that is exactly what they did.”

Bailey Lower had four goals and four assists. Cydney Mosscrop had three goals - including one goal 14 seconds into the second half to get the Nantucket offense rolling - as well as an assist.

Emerson Pekarcik had two goals and two assists. Dylan Damian scored a goal as well, which gave the Whalers some insurance late in the game as they clung to their lead.

But the star of the show on Tuesday was Nantucket’s defense, led by Brooke Damian and Maddie Lombardi.

“They were on fire today,” Jami Lower said of her defense. “They were really taking initiative and coming up pressuring, getting the groundballs, knowing who was going to drop back and who was going to come up and get the ball. It worked out really well. We had a couple of key forced turnovers that we were able to capitalize on.”

The Whalers are now 12-3 this season and they will play their final road game of the regular season on Thursday against Nauset at 4 p.m. Nantucket beat the Warriors earlier this season 13-6.

Following Thursday’s game, Nantucket will close out their regular season with four home games against St. John Paul II, Dennis-Yarmouth, Cape Cod Academy, and Martha’s Vineyard respectively.

Nantucket has beaten all five of the remaining teams on their schedule this season, outscoring them 75-24.

Aside from Nauset, the only other team to keep their margin of defeat in single digits was CCA, who lost to Nantucket 13-7 on May 9.

Boys Lacrosse Splits Back-To-Back

The Whaler boys lacrosse team beat the Cardinal Spellman Cardinals 13-5 Monday afternoon. With freshman goalie Jeremy Jenkinson unavailable for today’s game, sophomore Sujal Mali stepped into the Nantucket net and earned his first career varsity victory.

Cole Chambers and Jack Halik each had four goals to pace a balanced Whaler attack. Chambers added three assists while Halik had one.

Michael Culkins, Patty Carroll, Ryan Davis, Canton Jenkinson, and Arann Hanlon also had one goal each. Colby O’Keefe had a team-high five assists. Hanlon also had one assist.

The Whalers improved to 11-4 with the win, and they were hoping to carry that momentum into a matchup with Falmouth on Tuesday. Nantucket nearly completed the incredible comeback from down 9-1 at halftime on their home field in the first matchup between these two teams, and the rematch was equally as exciting.

While Nantucket lost 9-7, they gave Falmouth everything they could handle once again.

The Clippers, who are ranked #4 of 50 teams in Div. 3, found themselves tied with the Whalers, who are ranked #8 of 56 teams in Div. 4 as the third quarter was ending. Falmouth was able to score a goal at the buzzer to carry a 7-6 lead into the final quarter, a moment that was a black eye in what was otherwise a strong performance from a Nantucket team that will only benefit from competing against this tough competition once state tournament time begins.

The theme of Nantucket’s offense this season has been variety and balance. Six different players scored for Nantucket. Halik led the team with two goals while Colby O’Keefe, Cole Chambers, Mike Culkins, Arann Hanlon, and Sean Murphy finished with one goal each.

O’Keefe finished with a team-high three assists in the game.

The Whalers are now 11-5 this season and have just two regular season games remaining on their schedule. They will host the Nauset Warriors on Thursday, May 18 at 4 p.m. That game is also the Whaler’s senior night. Nauset is currently 12-3 and the #3 seed in Div. 2 out of 50 teams - trailing only number one Duxbury and number two Reading.

Nantucket will close out the regular season on Saturday, May 27 when they travel to Martha’s Vineyard for a 12 p.m. game. The Vineyarders are currently 9-5 and the #20 seed in Div. 4. They have won six of their last eight games, with one of those losses being to Nantucket, on Nantucket, 10-0.

Girls Tennis Sweeps Bishop Connolly In 5-0 Win

The girls tennis team went on the road and beat the Bishop Connolly Cougars 5-0. First single Joan Harris and third single Hannah Gerardi each won their respective matches in straight sets 6-0, 6-0. Second single Lauren Cutone won her match in straight sets 6-0, 6-1.

The doubles team also played very well. First doubles pairing of Chloe Marrero and Andrea Bunlerssak won their match 6-0, 6-1 while the second doubles team of Julia Swietlik and Sutton LeBrecht won their match in straight sets 6-1, 6-4.

The Whalers, who are currently the #30 seed in Div. 4, are hanging on by a thread to one of the final three spots in the state tournament with four games to go.

They hold a 4-9 record, and their next game will be on the road against Rising Tide on Wednesday, May 17 at 4 p.m.

Baseball Shutout Against Fairhaven

The Whaler baseball team went on the road to play Fairhaven on Tuesday and lost 18-0. Nantucket has had a challenging season, holding a 1-12 record.

But they got some good news Tuesday night when NHS Athletic Director Travis Lombardi announced that their game on Wednesday, May 17 at home against Sturgis West was moved to 3 p.m. and will be played at their new field on Backus Lane.

“This has been a long time coming and we are extremely excited for the boys to finally get the chance to play on this field (Wednesday), as well as for the remainder of the season,” Lombardi said.

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