By Allison Goldsmith
I&M Sports Editor
It was an up-and-down week for the boys varsity lacrosse team. The Whalers secured a spot in the playoffs with their 10th win of the season Thursday at Bishop Connolly 14-1, but then lost a key Maritime League battle at Barnstable Sunday, 16-5.
The Whalers improved to 10-3 overall, but fell into second place in the Maritime League east division at 3-1 behind top-seeded Barnstable.
The Red Raiders proved to be the Whalers’ most talented opponent on the schedule to date and relied on a potent offensive attack to take down the strong Nantucket squad.
“They basically do a real good job of spreading the field and keeping the field balanced offensively. They cut real effectively in the half-field game and do a good job of making that third pass to get around your defensive slide,” head coach Rick Blair said.
Barring any other defeats for either team, the Whalers will need to beat Barnstable in their home rematch next Thursday to earn a share of the league title.
But before Nantucket can seek revenge, it must take care of business this week. Martha’s Vineyard will be looking for a little revenge of its own this afternoon as the Whalers pay a visit to the rival island for a rematch of their 10-8 win earlier this season. Also this week, Nantucket will host Bourne Saturday and Fairhaven Tuesday.
On Sunday the Red Raiders’ Serriello brothers kept the Whalers defense busy. Bryce Serriello scored five goals, while Brett Serriello added four and two assists to lead Barnstable.
The Red Raiders took a 7-1 lead midway through the second quarter before the Whalers were able to fight back.
“We stiffened our backs a little bit and played a little bit of zone defense and just were a lot more patient with the ball,” Blair said. “When we did that from the end of the second to the end of the third, we played very well and played them evenly and outscored them during that period 3-2.”
The Whalers had a number of man-advantage opportunities in the second half they did not convert as Barnstable stayed well out in front.
Ray DeCosta led the Whalers with two goals and two assists, while Gaven Norton scored twice and Teddy Fales added one goal and solid play on the offensive end of the field. Delroy Lawrence picked up a number of ground balls on the defensive end and initiated a few fast-break opportunities for the Whalers.
“We need to finish some of those plays, play with a little more patience and lacrosse savvy and we can be a lot more competitive with this team the next time we see them,” Blair said.
The Whalers got everyone involved in the offense Thursday at Bishop Connolly as they officially qualified for the postseason tournament.
“We are just continuing to focus on running an offense where we share the ball more than we have in the past,” Blair said.
DeCosta tallied two goals and five assists, while Andrew Haddon (one assist), Taylor Thayer and Hunter Day scored two goals each. Lawrence, Henry Farrell (one assist), Henry Toole, Oliver Schrope, Josh Sibley-Liddle and Jamie Viera scored one goal apiece.
Joe Bopp made seven saves in net while giving up just one goal. The Whalers also got solid games from Lawrence and Hadi Nabulsi.
“Delroy and Hadi Nabulsi have really started to show that they have the ability to play well with the ball in their stick and play good position defense and take the ball away when need be,” Blair said.
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