By Joshua B. Gray
I&M Staff Writer
The boys varsity soccer team traveled to Cape Cod Academy Tuesday and brought home a 2-1 win, but fell 5-2 to Coyle-Cassidy Saturday, also on the road.
Nantucket (4-2-1, 3-0 Lighthouse Conference) was scheduled to play Provincetown last Friday, but the match was rescheduled for later in the month.
In Tuesday’s meeting against CCA, the Whalers started strong with a first-half goal by Philipe Bazilio on an assist by Henry Farrell. A few minutes into the second half Cape Cod Academy was able tie the game, but Nantucket responded with 10 minutes left in the game with a goal by Roneik Gordon assisted on a crossing pass from Luke Daniels to take the lead and the win.
“Our possession was key,” head coach Rich Brannigan said. “We really possessed the ball throughout the game. We played a good game of keep-away and kept the other team from controlling the ball much. We used our midfielders to our strength to score our goals. Cape Cod was able to shut us down offensively, but was unable to operate on an offensive basis themselves.”
Brannigan recalled a previous match-up against Cape Cod Academy earlier in the season, this one on Nantucket, that was eerily similar, and resulted in an identical 2-1 score. “We were able to dominate play in both games and had a lot of possessions throughout,” he said.
The Whalers coach credited his midfield players with being the key to the win.
“They really stood out and Bryan Tarcitano was instrumental in anchoring the midfield for us. The entire group as a whole, though, was big in making the game a success,” Brannigan said.
Wins against Cape Cod Academy have proven to be key in determining the Whalers’ conference standing in recent seasons, he said. “We always need to have a good performance against them.”
Saturday’s game at Coyle-Cassidy was a different story. Due to the fact that several of Nantucket’s more senior players had spent their morning taking their SAT’s, Brannigan said his team seemed a bit drained.
“We were a bit flat,” he said. “We didn’t have enough speed to match their play and we were not first to the ball when we needed to be. I feel this is a team we could have beaten. They are definitely a team that we can play with. Part of the problem is our youthfulness. We don’t have a lot of upperclassmen and so as you go you will have some good days and some bad.”
The two goals that reached Coyle Cassidy’s net were scored by Emil Bender on an assist from Tarcitano in the first half, Bazilio in the second, but that was all the offense the Whalers could muster. They were able to hold their opponent to two goals before the half, but allowed another three in the second.
The Whalers are next at Sturgis Friday, at Methuen Saturday, at home on Monday against Cohasset and at arch rival Martha’s Vineyard Wednesday for a night game.
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