Field hockey team gets into win column
With a win and a tie over the past seven days, the Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School (MVRHS) field hockey team is in its most positive stretch of the season. “We had a win and a tie against two league opponents,” Coach Becky Nutton told The Times. “We felt really good about these past two games.”
Last Wednesday, Sept. 21, the Vineyarders got their first win of the season, a 1-0 victory over Sturgis East at home. “That was kind of a slow start to that game. We didn’t score until the third quarter. We were possessing the ball better, but we just weren’t putting them away,” Nutton said.
At halftime, they talked about putting one away. “It doesn’t need to be pretty; it doesn’t need to be perfect,” she said she told the team.
Genevieve Hyland scored early in the third quarter. “We started to relax, and played really good hockey,” Nutton said.
Sophomore goalie Reese McCracken made it stand for her first varsity shutout. “She had a great game. Not as much action as she’s had,” Nutton said. “It was a huge confidence boost for her. We had confidence in her, but it was good for her.”
In a game against Nantucket on Saturday, rain made for a slick field. MVRHS knew they’d have a tough game against their rivals.
“Nantucket plays a physical game, and they pushed us at the start,” Nutton said. “Our girls answered back.”
The game was scoreless until the fourth quarter, when Nantucket scored first. But it was long before the Vineyarders got the equalizer and played to a 1-1 tie. “We had a lot of scoring chances. It was our best attacking game, I’d say,” she said. The Vineyarders had 17 shots on goal: “We were creating chances, but just not converting them … They scored first, but we answered right back. It felt like a huge comeback to us. It was intense, a really good match for us. This was our best game of the season; credit to Nantucket bringing that out in us.”
Alana Nevin, a junior forward, scored the goal against Nantucket. “She is a natural forward. She plays ice hockey as well,” Nutton said.
The coach also gave credit to freshman Izzy Blake, who was recently called up to varsity. Izzy started the attack that led to the goal against Nantucket. “She’s super-quick,” Nutton said. “She’s got good vision … She’ll be a great player to watch.”
Cross-country continues dominant run
The boys cross-country team stomped the competition 15-46 at Sandwich High School Tuesday, taking the first five places. “It was kind of a rainy, wet meet,” Head Coach Joe Schroeder said.
Zach Utz came in first place at 17:46, Borja Tolay second at 18:00, Jonathan Norton third at 18:13, Daniel DaSilva fourth at 18:35, and Daniel Serpa fifth at 18:39.
Sam Fetters came in seventh at 18:56, Duncan Brown eighth at 19:53, and Otis Forester was 10th at 21:14.
Adrienne Christy won the girls race at 20:32. “She actually ran a really good race in a tough course,” Schroeder said.
Next up was Alexa Schroeder, no relation to the head coach, who came in third at 22:39. Sara Creato was the next Vineyarder girls runner, and came in 11th at 27:38.
The girls cross-country team doesn’t have a full team, so they are not eligible to score points, but still participate in the race.
On Saturday, the cross-country team participated in the 14th annual Ocean State Cross-Country Invitational at Goddard Park in Warwick, R.I.
The boys team snagged the win with a total score of 97. Newburyport came in second at 145.
In that race, Zach Utz came in third for the 5k division 1 run at 16:00 flat. For the girls race, Adrienne Christy snagged seventh at 20:16.
Next up is the Wachusett Invitational at Wachusett High School, on Saturday at 2 pm.
Girls soccer stomps Whalers
The Vineyarder girls varsity soccer team snagged a win against Island rivals Nantucket Saturday during a rainy-day match. Junior Lily Moran scored the lone goal of the game.
Paige Malowski led the Vineyarder team with two goals on the season. “She’s a very dynamic player,” Head Coach Rocco Bellebuono said. “She reads the game well, she’s got a really high soccer IQ — a standout without a doubt.”
Bellebuono said he feels great about the team this year, calling them among the best he’s coached. “They have a lot of potential I think they are still learning they have … I see it, the other coaches see it,” Bellebuono said. “This is the best group of 19 varsity players I’ve seen come through that school.”
After a quiet week due to a game against powerhouse Nauset being postponed Tuesday for weather, the girls look ahead to a game at Barnstable on Thursday at 3:30 pm.
Golf team has a slow week
With matches canceled either due to transportation issues or because of weather, the MVRHS golf team had a slow week competitively. But that’s about to change, Coach Doug DeBettencourt said. Not only does the team have several matches over the next seven days, but on Sunday, the Vineyard Golf Classic, which is an invitational tournament of the top four players from area schools, will be played at the Vineyard Golf Club.
The team remains 6-1.
Boys soccer ties one, drops two
On Sept. 23, the boys tied Sandwich 3-3. The game was a back-and-forth, with Sandwich scoring first and the Vineyard answering. Things seesawed for the rest of the game.
“We carried most of the play; we probably had close to 60 percent of the possession,” Head Coach John Walsh told The Times. Walsh commended the Sandwich players for their ability to move the ball back, and then get it upfield.
On a rainy Saturday, the team hosted a 4-2 loss to Nantucket. The Vineyarders got off to a hot start, scoring two goals on the Island rivals, but then left four goals unanswered. “We went up 2-0 in the first 25 minutes, and Nantucket didn’t see too much of the ball. For some reason, we let our foot off the gas,” Walsh said. “They pressured us, and made life really difficult for us.”
Then the boys played a tough Nauset team on Tuesday night, losing 3-1. A frequent winner of the state title, Nauset is the team to beat, Walsh said. “We beat them in the preseason, so we knew we could hang with them today, but we’re a little banged up,” Walsh said. Several Vineyard players have injuries, including the team’s goalie, Mathias Rodrigues. “It’s hard to get the ball back when you lose it against them,” Walsh said. “I feel like if we came with all our cards today, it might have been a different outcome.”
The team hosts Barnstable on Thursday at 3 pm.
