Soccer action aplenty over the weekend
BY LINDAWILLIAMS CONTRIBUTING WRITER
All eleven NSSA soccer teams were in action this past weekend, earning seven victories.

Both U8 boys' teams soundly trounced their opponents. Though the teams are technically in boys' divisions, both have outstanding girls playing.

U8 Team #1 traveled to Mashpee. Mashpee rarely crossed midfield, allowing Nantucket to dictate play for a solid 6-1 victory.

Thomas Murphy started quickly, netting twice inside seven minutes, the second assisted by David McCarthy. Nantucket went up 3-0 towards the end of the first half when newcomer Honor Chotkowski hooked up with a pass from Eliza Thomas. Keeper Sophie Kuhl earned the shutout in the first half. In the second half, Nantucket kept up the pressure, with Simon Johnson scoring his first goal and Natty Davidson adding two more. Second half goalie Garret Kelsey turned away all but one of Mashpee's several chances.

U8 Team #2 triumphed over visiting Taunton, 5-2. The local squad is knotted with Fall River and New Bedford at the top with a 4-1-0 record out of 20 teams. Ethan Fey broke the ice for Nantucket, then immediately stole the kickoff making it 2-0. Quinn Towne, overpowering at defensive midfield, hunted down all balls coming across the line.

The U9 boys added a tick in the tie column after an intense battle with Fall River ended deadlocked at 2-2. After Fall River jumped out in front, Gus Day evened the match. Xander Raith put Nantucket momentarily up only to have Fall River pull even again. Keeper Zephyr Zimicki kept Nantucket in the match, blocking five out of seven shots on goal.

Both U10 teams were also victori- ous. The boys came away with a respectable win over Taunton, 5-2. The girls ended the weekend with a stunning record of 5-0-0, tied for first with Falmouth in a 14-team division. Next Saturday at the Delta Fields, the girls will face off against Falmouth in a clash of the titans that will leave one team alone at the top of the leader board barring a tie.

In an impressive display of talent, Nantucket dismantled Mariner on the opponents' uneven, dirtfilled field, 6-1. As in every game, Kate Daniels scored first inside seven minutes, chipping over the keeper's fingers just outside the box. Midfielder Olivia Slade sent ins a powerful corner kick that ricocheted off a Mariner defender to roll in for a 3-0 lead after only 15 minutes. First half keeper Kelli Molloy made four saves, including a leaping mid-air snag just under the crossbar to shut Mariner out. Daniels got her fourth hat trick in a row to give Nantucket the insurmountable lead at the break, 4-0.

In the second, Slade, Claire MacKay and Nora MacLellan strung together several fine passes resulting in near misses, including a MacLellan laser shot off the post. Slade earned her second when a MacLellan shot off the post landed on her foot, having positioned herself in an open spot amid a mad scramble in front of the net, started by MacKay.

Keeper Renee Perkins had three outstanding saves, diving into the dirt to stop balls just inches from the goal line. Mariner managed to find the net finally. Shortly after that, the play of the day occurred. Having beaten Nantucket's defense, a charging Mariner striker was closing for a certain goal. Perkins' only chance was to challenge. Nose to nose about five feet in front of the far post, she got her foot on the ball, sending it wide and resulting in audible gasps and a wave of applause from both sides.

Daniels added her fourth goal of the day, bringing her season total to 16, when she sent a pass forward from midfield to Slade. The ball rolled free untouched, took a strange hop slipping out of the keeper's grasp and crossed the line in slow motion. Coach George MacLellan has been in a state of amazement all season. "They are young and have only been playing together for two seasons. We have no idea how far they can go if they stick together like this."

Both U12 teams were also successful. The boys team squeaked by for their first win of the season, 3-2, over Freetown-Lakeville. Nantucket had a secret weapon in free kick specialist Ben Daniels who, according to coach Maurice Daniels, "puts fear in the opponents' defenses." Such praise was justified as Daniels racked up a hat trick off a free kick, a penalty kick and an assisted shot from Chris Sylvia. Daniels also singled out Sylvia, stating that "he was everywhere on defense." Keeper Christian Lombardi did his job protecting Nantucket's slim lead. "The way we practiced this week, it didn't matter who we played, we were coming out on top."

The U12 girls team saw double action and made the most of their time on the pitch, taking apart a visiting Oceana, 6-2, on Saturday and shutting out Sandwich, 4-0, away on Sunday, to end the weekend undefeated at 4-0-0 and tied for third place out of 17 teams. Oceana enjoyed a brief lead, scoring within four minutes. Nantucket retaliated when Hannah Pykosz sent two rockets into the net in the space of one minute. Sabrina Dawson added to the total. Cara Garufiscored off an indirect kick to put Nantucket up, 4-2, at the break after Oceana netted again. First half keepers Taylor Kopp and Samantha Freed combined for ten saves. Alexa Crosby scored to open the second. Sabrina Dawson scored to end it. Second half keeper Kate Freed had ten saves.

On Sunday the team traveled to Sandwich. "We had a freezing game in Sandwich but it went well," Assistant Coach Louisa Crosby said. "I am very proud of the girls." Nantucket has found the net twenty times so far and only let in four. Dawson and Isabella Day put Nantucket up quickly, 2-0. Jacq Raynor, assisted by Kopp, upped it to 3-0. The lone goal of the second half was scored by Raynor assisted by Day. The team's goaltenders - the Freed sisters and Hannah Pykosz - were relatively idle with Nantucket's defense stepping it up.

The U14 girls hosted a skilled Falmouth team on Saturday. Though the game ended with a 5-0 loss for Nantucket, the squad had their best game to date, holding Falmouth scoreless in the first half. Unfortunately, Nantucket could not find the back of the net to take advantage of the outstanding defense and goaltending of Maddie Malenfant and Emma Gifford. Coach Alisa Leib Allegrini felt that Molly Maloney, Ruby Fee and Samantha Lockley were instrumental in shutting Falmouth down. Carly Jensen at stopper made several key defensive plays to deny the Falmouth team any offensive momentum.

Although the team has been in every game this season, at the beginning of the second half the team has been dogged by bad luck. Falmouth stepped up their game in the last ten minutes firing off five straight goals. Leib felt the team was improving. "The score in no way reflected the tough game played by Nantucket who only continues to improve within this tough Division I."

The U15 boys welcomed Dartmouth to the island, only to go down in defeat, 5-0.

The U14 boys had no answer for a dominant New Bedford team and an undermanned U18 boys' team fell to a strong Sandwich team, with Nantucket's lone goal coming from Alvaro Castro. I