Updated 2:30 pm, Friday.
On Thursday afternoon, the Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School (MVRHS) boys varsity soccer team advanced to the Division 3 South semi-finals, after defeating Old Rochester High School of Mattapoisett, 4-1. Jason Lages scored a hat trick: two goals in the first half and another just minutes into the second, before being substituted because of a cramp in his leg. Brandon Dwane also nabbed a goal, putting the Vineyard up 3-0.
The game atmosphere was intense. A rainy day did little to dampen spirits in the stands, where fans chanted and rang cow bells, or on the field, where coaches argued, bodies flew, and passions flowed.
Coach Esteban Aranzabe was back on the field as was leading scorer Jason Lages. Both had missed the previous two games due to red card penalties from the October 27 match against Bishop Stang. Player and coach did their best, as did the entire team, to avoid any penalties.
That was made clear when assistant coach Alex Poole, a former MVRHS soccer player and brother of team member Ben Poole, threw his hat in the air in celebration of the fourth Vineyard goal and it landed on the field. Opposing coach Mike Devoll objected strongly to what he took as a gesture of disrespect. The referee told Mr. Poole to “leave the area.”
Mr. Poole peacefully left the game, not to return. Fresh off the double-red-card incident, Mr. Aranzabe did not hesitate to keep emotions in check. “I want everybody sitting down,” he told the team members on the sidelines.
Later, Mr. Poole explained, “I threw it up and the wind took it.”
The rain that had fallen all day stopped just in time for the game and the temperature was a comfortable 52 degrees.
The return of Jason Lages did not disappoint his legion of fans. Right from the start, Jason immediately started bombarding the Old Rochester goalie, but he missed his first two shots.
The first and second goals by Jason Lages occurred with 17:30 and 5:00, respectively, left in the first half. Captain Brandon Dwane assisted Jason’s second goal and Brandon also scored the Vineyarders third goal, assisted by Aksel Cooperrider, with 3:27 left in the first half. Old Rochester’s Evan Santos then squeaked in his team’s first and only goal just before the halftime buzzer, making the score 3-1.
“It was a free kick, it’s kind of what we planned in practice and practice makes perfect,” Jason told The Times regarding his first goal. “I’m happy it went in! I was gone for two games and it just hyped me up even more to play this game. I was ready.”
The rain returned in the second half and made conditions extremely difficult. The tough weather did not stop Jason, however, and three minutes into the second half he sent the fourth and final Vineyard goal into the opponent’s net. With Coach Aranzabe able to taste victory, he began playing multiple players off the bench and calling starters out.
Vineyard goaltender Matt Stone touched the ball fewer than five times during the entire game. The Vineyarders were relentless, attacking Old Rochester’s defensemen drive after drive after drive.
“I maybe touched the ball two times,” goalie Matt Stone told The Times. “One of them hit the cross bar and the other one just rolled into me. I picked up the ball maybe once.”
Assessing the team’s overall play, Matt said, “I thought it was very good on our part. The first half we definitely dominated. Second half we broke down a little bit but we kept it together and kept pressuring.”
Sporting a new Mohawk hairdo, star defenseman Alex GordonBeck told The Times postgame, “We just outplayed them, possession-wise, and we didn’t try to force anything too much.”
Assistant Coach Ryan White said Old Rochester deserved credit. “They never quit,” he said. “It’s difficult when you’ve advanced and you get beat the way you did. They deserve a lot of respect despite the outcome.”
Asked why Jason was pulled out of the game mid-second half, Mr. Ryan told The Times, “He was cramping up. We considered keeping him off to keep him fresh for the playoffs but he looked at me and said, ‘I really just want to keep playing coach. Those are my best friends out there and I want to play this last game with them on the field.’ So we put him in.”
Mr. Aranzabe said the game went as expected. “There were no surprises here,” he said. “They are a good team, but they have some weakness. We knew their goalkeeper is good and we knew they are not used to working under pressure. They made mistakes because they were overwhelmed.”
Mr. Aranzabe was proud of his team. “They played like lions,” he said.
The Vineyard’s next game is the Division 3 South semifinals against first seed Medway High School, which was 17-1 in regular season play, on Tuesday November 11, at Taunton High School. The time has not been announced.
In last year’s Division 3 South semifinals, Medway was the team that ended The Vineyard’s soccer run to the State Tournament, so there is a chance for redemption. Medway has lost by one goal in the State finals the last two years in a row.
If the Vineyard wins Tuesday, they play the winner of the Norwell/Foxboro semifinal for the Division 3 South Championship.
Four more games stand between The Vineyarders and the State Championship; the Division 3 South semifinals and finals, followed by semifinals and finals of the State Tournament.