Field Hockey
Vineyarders 2, Nantucket 0
The Vineyarders clinched a postseason berth with a Cape and Islands League win at Nantucket on Saturday. MV scored both goals in the first half. Sally Caron scored the first Vineyard goal from a corner, and added an assist as Abby Marchand put in a spectacular insurance goal with a reverse stick hit from the top of the circle. “It was better than a college-level goal,” Vineyard Coach Lisa Knight said.
Vineyarders 2, Plymouth South 0
Abby Marchand scored both goals in a non-league win over the visiting Panthers on Monday. Marchand scored the first goal 10 minutes into the first half, and blasted in another at long range with 14:30 left in the game. Sally Caron started the play from a corner with a perfect inbound pass to Addy Hayman at the top of the circle, who then fed Marchand wide right of the Panther goal.
“I knew it was going to be tough; they always play scrappy, Plymouth South, and they’re a turf team, so they’re very quick,” Coach Knight said. “We did a good job. I was very pleased with the way that we played, considering that we had a 13- to 14-hour day two days prior to that after being on Nantucket all day. We were challenged, and this is what you want this late in the season.”
The Vineyarders (10-2) host Sturgis East on Oct. 11 at 3 pm, and travel to Harwich on Saturday for a league showdown with the Monomoy Sharks.
Football
Greater New Bedford Voke 27, Vineyarders 14
Quarterback Ivan Shepherd scored on runs of five and four yards, plus a two-point conversion to stake the Vineyarders to a 14-0 first quarter lead, but the Bears rallied with 27 unanswered points to get the win on Friday night in New Bedford.
“We’re obviously going through some growing pains,” Vineyard Coach Donald Herman said. “Defensively, we didn’t have an answer for their quarterback or running back. We came out like gangbusters and scored on our first two possessions. It’s not like we couldn’t compete with them, but we didn’t. It’s twice that we’ve had 14-point leads and blown them.”
The Vineyarders (1-4) are back on the road at Carver, Friday night at 6 pm, against a Crusaders squad that had the luxury of adding 13 players to the roster through a co-op arrangement with Sacred Heart High School in Kingston. “I’d love to have 13 more kids on my team,” Coach Herman said.
The Crusaders will also be pumped about playing their first game at a new, multimillion-dollar turf facility.
In preparation for the game with Carver, it’s back to basics for the Vineyarders. “We’re back at the drawing board, trying to simplify things even more, especially the defensive side of the ball,” Coach Herman said. “We’re trying to get our kids to be fundamental, to get our kids to apply what they learn in practice to game situations, and so far we’ve done a poor job of that.”
Boys Soccer
Vineyarders 0, Nantucket 0
The Vineyarders and Whalers played to a scoreless draw in a battle of Cape and Islands League heavyweights on Saturday afternoon in Nantucket. The Vineyarders (8-1-1) pushed the attack throughout, but couldn’t add the finishing touch against Nantucket’s back four and its pair of stingy goalkeepers. Vainius Valentukevicius made a crucial save in the first half, and Jermaine Fearon robbed Vineyarders Luidi de Oliveira and Morgan Estrella in the second.
Vineyard freshman keeper Yiaggo Goncalves played his own part in the scoreless draw with two huge stops in the first half.
“We were the better team on the field for sure, but they [Nantucket] defended like crazy,” Vineyard Coach Esteban Aranzabe said. “We had opportunities but we didn’t finish them.”
Vineyarders 8, Cape Cod Tech 0
The Vineyarders (9-1-1) qualified for postseason play with a league win over the Crusaders on Tuesday in Harwich. Luidi De Oliveira (2), Emanuel Silva (2), Morgan Estrella, Aidan Nunes, Sam Balbino, and Lucas Reis all found the back of the net for MV.
The Vineyarders host Sturgis East on Oct. 11 at 3 pm, and play at Sturgis West on Saturday.
Golf
Vineyarders 125, Sturgis West 102
The MVRHS golfers picked up an important Cape and Islands League win at Sturgis West on Tuesday. Both teams came into the match with two losses in league play.
Pete Gillis and Andrew Marchand led the Vineyarders (11-3 overall and 11-2 in C & I) with 28 points. Benny Binder and David Krauthamer each had 24, and Aiden Marek earned 22. Ben Turbeville had 27 points for the Navigators (7-3 overall and C & I).
Gillis and Marchand each shot 40 for nine holes to record the low scores on the day.
After hosting Cape Cod Academy on Oct. 10, the Vineyarders play at Cape Cod Tech on Tuesday, and close out the regular season against Monomoy on Wednesday at Farm Neck in Oak Bluffs.
Cross-Country
The Vineyard harriers picked up a decisive Cape and Islands League win over Cape Cod Academy on Tuesday, and host a league meet with Sturgis West on Oct. 16. The boys race gets underway at 3:30 pm, and the girls race starts at 4.