By Bevin Bixby
Contributing Writer
Friday night’s 4-1 victory over South Shore Christian was just what boys varsity soccer coach Rich Brannigan had hoped for, kick-starting a successful week for the surging Whalers who won twice and tied once.
“We needed a win more than anything this week. We’ve had a really hard time with the injuries, players were uncertain – the win was a big help in boasting their confidence,” Brannigan said.
Nantucket, now 4-2-4 on the season, also beat Methuen 2-0 on Saturday and tied Cardinal Spellman 1-1 Monday. They faced Sturgis yesterday, too late for this edition of Sports and are scheduled to play Norwood at home Sunday.
It took the offense a bit of time to warm up Friday, but halfway though the first half Sebastian McFarland was able to send a pass to Carl Stevens who knocked it into the net, setting the pace for the rest of the game. Stevens later fought in front of the net for a second goal that was assisted by Roneik Gordon. A final goal in the first half was scored unassisted by Junior Henry Farrell, who had an overall great game.
“Farrell wins a lot of defensive balls and dictates left or right. He can really affect the game. He may be a defensive player on paper but the way the offense plays is indicative of how he plays,” Brannigan said.
About 20 minutes into the second half, South Shore Christian’s Lawrence Fagan managed to get one by Nantucket goalie Russell Bartlett. The goal was answered 10 minutes later by a goal from Gordon, which was assisted by Carlos Portilla. The 4-1 win gave the team more confidence for the next day’s game.
Saturday’s game against Methuen marked the first meeting ever between the two schools.
“We’d expected to win the game last night, but today we really didn’t know what was going to happen,” Brannigan said. “Methuen is a monster school. Never playing them before we didn’t know what to expect. It was a little bit of a David vs. Goliath situation. Their team was big, physical and strong. However, the players we have work well and can get around it.” commented Brannigan.
In what was a very physical and aggressive game, Nantucket was able to stay strong and continue their winning streak. An early goal by McFarland on an assist from Luke Daniels helped ease the tension.
The beginning of the second half saw continuous back and forth play with multiple saves made by both goalies. With seven minutes left, however, Gordon was able to get around his opponent and pass the ball to Farrell, who returned it to Gordon for the goal, giving the Whalers a 2-0 lead.
“The defense/midfield wasn’t playing great in the second half, that second goal helped to settle them down which helped put the team back on track.”
The Whalers managed to keep the lead, winning the game 2-0.
The team traveled away to Cardinal Spellman on Monday where they managed to tie (1-1) the team they had lost to earlier this season. Daniels had his second goal of the season on an assist by Carl Stevens. “We scored in the second half and it was 1-0. We had the lead and we were starting to think we’d be redeemed for the first loss of the season. It was a really exciting and intense game. With three minutes left in the game they were awarded a penalty kick and were able to connect,” Brannigan said.
Wednesday was the first match this season against Sturgis, a team the Whalers defeated twice last year. Brannigan is hoping to put another win on the board this week. “Wednesday’s strategy is to play a really crisp and clean soccer game. We want to try and get the game in hand as early as possible so we can hopefully give some of the younger players a chance and give some of the starters a break. Four games in six days is a lot on them,” he said.
JV action
The JV boys soccer team had a game Saturday against Methuen. Due to the size of the team and Nantucket being down a number of players it was determined the teams would play two 25-minute halves as opposed to the normal 40-minutes halves. The JV team has lost a couple of its players who are filling in for injured varsity players, and stopper Victor Navrro, who recently moved off-island. The Whalers fell to Methuen 3-0, but not without putting up a fight.
Colin Kohler had seven saves in the first half. “Colin had a really solid game with some impressive diving saves,” coach Rob Sulzer said. Alex Perkins made five saves in the second half. Saturday’s game against Cardinal Spellman was canceled. The team will next face Cape Cod Academy at home Thursday, Oct. 11 at 4:30 p.m.
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