The Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School boys and girls soccer and field hockey programs sent a small army over to Nantucket Saturday morning to take on the Whalers in the Battle of the Atlantic, to determine who would be taking home the coveted Golden Anchor trophies, and they came back victorious.
The boys varsity soccer team tied the Whalers 2-2 at the end of regulation, but won 4-2 in a shootout to take back their Golden Anchor. The girls’ team not only shut Nantucket out 5-0 to keep their hold on the Anchor trophy, but their victory over the Whalers also secured the team a league championship title — a first for the team.
Field hockey unfortunately fell 3-0 to a strong Whalers team, ranked No. 7 in the state.
“It feels good to bring it home,” said Head Coach of the boys soccer team Rodrigo Honorato, after hoisting the trophy along with the team.
The boys varsity soccer match was the first to kick off, and the Vineyarders started the game with urgency. Just a minute in, the Vineyard’s Chris Marcel (No. 13) capitalized on a scramble for ball control in Nantucket’s penalty box, firing a low shot to the right side of the Whalers net, to give the Vineyard a 1-0 lead early on.
“We started out the way that we always want to start out — with intensity and pressuring the other team,” said Honorato after the match on Saturday. “[The Vineyarders] showed that they really wanted to score, and that’s exactly what we did within the first minutes of the game.”
The team’s momentum continued to grow when Mateus Lacerda (No. 9) drew a penalty kick after battling for a shot opportunity deep inside Nantucket’s zone. Yury De Moraes (No. 8) stepped up to take the shot, and converted the penalty into another Vineyard goal, piping a low shot to the bottom right side of Nantucket’s net with 13:59 to go in the first half.
But a yellow card was issued to a Vineyard player a little later in the first half, resulting in a Nantucket shot setting up just outside the left side of the Vineyard penalty box. Nantucket capitalized with a bar-down goal at 19:20 in the first half, cutting the score deficit to a 2-1 Vineyard lead.
In the second half, the Whalers hit an equalizer with 15 minutes remaining, following a scrum in front of the Vineyard net. A trickling ball snuck past the Vineyard’s goalkeeper, tying the game at 2-2.
Reminiscent of last year’s Golden Anchor battle, the game was heading to penalty shots to determine who would take home the trophy, and the Vineyarders were determined to reverse last year’s fate, in which Nantucket won 4-2 in penalties.
Vineyard shooters approached each shot with a cool and focused energy, something that Coach Honorato said they had worked on throughout the season. The Vineyard’s goalkeeper, Grady Stalgren (No. 00), was a stone wall, and key to the Vineyard win, setting the tone by saving Nantucket’s first shot.
“I have to give it up to Grady,” said Honorato, “he has been phenomenal. We haven’t conceded many goals throughout the whole season, not just because of our defense, but because of Grady himself –– he’s an amazing goalie.”
The first shooter for the Vineyard, Joao Pedro De Oliveira (No. 10), scored on his attempt, followed by a Nantucket goal, tying the shootout at 1-1. De Moraes buried his attempt too, and Stalgren made another crucial save on Nantucket’s next shot, leaving the score at 2-1 in favor of the Vineyard.
The Vineyard scored next, and Nantucket’s subsequent shot appeared to be saved to end the game, but officials ruled the ball had crossed the line, leaving the scoring at 3-2 in favor of the Vineyard. With nerves building, it was the Vineyard’s Victor Daghetti (No. 12) who stayed cool under pressure and buried the game-winning goal to secure a 4-2 shootout victory. Daghetti was mobbed by his teammates at the center of the field.
Honorato said the comfortable nature of the Vineyard shooters with pressure on was a result of practice and a determination to win. “We practice penalties all the time, and these kids were just hungry,” he said. “Penalties are pretty simple. Put it in the corner, keep the ball low, and make the goalie dive, and that’s exactly what we did.”
For the boys soccer team, the next step is the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA) state playoffs, starting in November.
“We’re just looking forward to the playoffs now, so we’re excited, and we are focused on that,” Honorato said. “I’m very proud of this team and my first season, having nine wins, five losses, and four ties.”
As for the girls varsity soccer team, they continued their impressive season with a dominating performance. Their victory over the Whalers not only marked their third season in a row holding onto the Golden Anchor trophy, but also clinched them first place in the Cape and Islands league, marking them in Vineyard history as the first from the program ever to do it.
“They played great, they executed the game plan –– we’ve been practicing this new format, and they executed,” said Head Coach Matt Malowski of the Vineyarders’ performance on the field. “They really controlled the game, and it was really great to see them all come together.”
Leah Thomson (No. 15) opened the scoring at 6:27 in the first half, recovering a loose ball in the slot and burying a low shot, to give the Vineyarders a 1-0 lead. Thomson struck twine again at 22:30 in the first half, receiving a pass from Ava Townes (No. 4) and firing a shot to the top right corner, making it 2-0 at halftime.
Thomson completed her hat trick at 11:45 in the second half, chipping a shot past the Nantucket goalkeeper’s left shoulder as she rushed out of the net, to extend the lead to 3-0. Just two minutes later, Thomson hit the post, narrowly missing a fourth goal.
Laney Light (No. 2) added to the Vineyard’s lead at 18:05 in the second half, launching a shot from the top of Nantucket’s penalty box that deflected off the Nantucket goalkeeper’s outstretched arms and into the net, giving the Vineyard a 4-0 lead. Townes sealed the 5-0 victory at 19:12 in the second half, beating a Nantucket defender on the right wing and firing a shot from the corner of the penalty box that crossed the goalline into the far bottom left corner.
The Vineyard’s goal scorers were paramount to the victory, but an unsung hero in the girls’ dominance, not only in the Golden Anchor game but also throughout the season, was Reese Malowski (No. 6). Malowski’s ball control, vision, and methodical passing game from the center of the field not only strengthens the team’s defense, but also generates major offensive drives.
“Reese in that sixth position, defensive-mid role, is just so key in how we just control the tempo of the game,” said Coach Malowski. “Being able to have our wingers really exploit the back corners and Nantucket’s back line, really just allowed us to keep that ball in Nantucket’s half.”
For the Vineyarders, the game against Nantucket also marked their ninth shutout of the season.
“We have the least amount of goals scored against in the league, and I think that’s just our back line, and Lucy [Doyle], who came in huge as a freshman goalkeeper — that can’t be understated,” said Malowski. “I think the whole season they just played so collectively solid, and that’s why we have been so successful this year.”
The Vineyard girls soccer program is also setting its eyes on the MIAA state championship in coming weeks, and as result of its strong record, will possibly have a bye week into the first round of the state playoffs.
Congratulations MVRHS soccer players.
And wow Leah, hat trick!
Congrats to the Team….. defense is the key to winning. Our defense members were superb allowing the offense to score. GOALLLLLLLL !
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