Island fans flock to see soccer all-stars
BY LINDAWILLIAMS
On paper it looked like the Division 3 South All-Star team would pulverize the Division 3 North team in Canton, Mass. last Friday, with at least half of the top 10 scoring leaders on the team. But coach Rich Brannigan's soccer squad squeaked by with a 4-3 win, finally ending the long fall soccer season for Caleb Mitchell and Caio Correa before a large contingent of fans from Nantucket. Both players had been nominated by Brannigan and then selected for the team by the Eastern Massachusetts Soccer Coaches Association.

Nantucket soccer players Caleb Mitchell (left) and Caio Correa (right) capped a stellar season by playing in last Friday's Division 3 all-star game that was coached by their head coach, Rich Brannigan (center).

Brannigan was selected for the honor of coaching the team over the winning Old Rochester coach from the state finals a few weeks ago, as a tribute to the success of the Nantucket season. "It was gratifying to coach the All-Star team, but I did not know the guys from a hole in the wall," Brannigan said. "It took a bit to get them in the right spot on the field. It was a fun challenge and was almost like the first day of preseason with the first scrimmage. No one knew each other."

It was a fitting end to the most successful season so far for any Nantucket team that is involved with this type of playoff format. The team ended with an overall record of 17-3-1, with the final loss coming in the state division finals.

Both Mitchell and Correa saw time on the pitch for more than half the game. Brannigan felt that the D3 North team had some "pretty good players with solid attackers," but the goal keeper from Wilmington High School was "outstanding, with at least twelve-to-fifteen legitimate saves; he won the game for us." Brannigan nominated him for MVP but Colin Henry from Norwell, a team Nantucket beat during its march through the playoff bracket, was awarded the trophy as he scored a hat trick and had one assist on the first goal at the beginning of the game.

Brannigan's team was losing, 2-1, at the break and changed to a powerhouse lineup for the second half, putting Mitchell and Henry at center midfield, and Michael Alves (Seekonk's top player), Scott Bukoski (Bourne's top All- Cape player) and Correa at the striker positions. This change had immediate results with Henry attacking the net and scoring three straight goals in quick succession. Correa assisted on two and Mitchell contributed as setup man. The North let the goals go unanswered as the remaining twelve minutes ticked off the clock.

Brannigan was able to put the 11 senior players on the field for the remainder of the game as a tribute to the talent that was on the team. There were also seven juniors on the squad. As a tenth grader, Correa was the youngest player to be honored. Brannigan was pleased with the end of the game. "It was nice to be able to put all the seniors, including Mitchell, on the field and they seemed to appreciate it and their parents certainly did."

For Mitchell and Correa it was the end of their Nantucket High School soccer careers.

Mitchell will be graduating in the spring and Correa will be heading back to Brazil shortly to further his soccer career in the land of his birth. This may not be the last Nantucket has heard of either of them. If Brannigan has his way, Correa will return to the team again.

When asked if he thought it was a Cinderella season, Brannigan was thoughtful. "Maybe Cinderella is not the right word. I do not think we were ever the underdogs. I knew at the end of last season and especially after the spring season that this team would be making some serious headway this fall. At the start of preseason I expected them to be there at the end. It is part of growing as a team for them to deal with the ups and downs. Fortunately for us it was more ups than downs, and it was a great team all around.

"They were a special bunch. There were a lot of combinations that made them great, along with the experience that was gained from the tournament run last year. They knew how to make it great, how to beat opponents. It was sometimes not always pretty but they knew what to do and never gave up.

"This was the easiest year coaching," he added. "The kids did all the work. They were coachable, hard workers and learners. They did it, all 22 players, everyone, they all contributed." I