Weekend games showcase talent of youth soccer
BY LINDAWILLIAMS CONTRIBUTING WRITER
It was another successful weekend on the pitch for NSSA soccer.

The U8 #1 team shutout visiting Bourne, 6-0, controlling all 50 minutes of play. Simon Johnson netted a Thomas Murphy pass four minutes in. Johnson returned the favor to Natty Davidson for the 2-0 lead. Davidson and Johnson hooked up again when Johnson finished Davidson's corner kick. In the second, Murphy netted twice and Sophie Kuhl once for her first goal on a feed from David McCarthy.

The U8 #2 team took down Westport, 5-0. Marin Churns immediately stole the ball, shutting down Westport's first drive allowing Quinn Towne, Andrew Dawson, Stefan Silverio and Ethan Fey to apply steady pressure on their keeper. However the half ended with teams knotted at zero. In the second, Nantucket went on cruise control with Dawson and Fey tallying two goals each and Silverio one. Being at the top of the leader board, 5-1-0, in a 20-team division is an unexpected bonus for this first year squad.

The U9 boys trounced a hapless Dartmouth team on their turf, 14-1. After finding themselves up at the half, 9-1, Coach Greg Raith cautioned the squad. "At the half I had a meeting with the team and told them they had to pass three or four times minimum before anyone could shoot on goal. They did so but still managed to score." Zephyr Zimicki and Chris Tran split duty in the net. Six players accounted for the scoring glut: Jack Sylvia (6), Xander Raith (4), Timmy Earle (2), Chris Tran (1), Gus Day (1), and Ethan Wing (1).

Saturday, the U10 boys managed a 2-2 tie with a tough visiting Oceana. Facing the stiff wind the defense aggressively protected goalie Noah Wing allowing him time to turn aside all but two Oceana chances in the first. In the second, Oceana's defense held for 15 minutes against the wind until Noah Davidson scored off a setup from Leon Lefebvre and Cole Millington. In the waning minutes Nantucket kept up the attack resulting in a Ben Zieff corner kick bouncing off a defenseman into the net for the draw.

Sunday, the U10 boys lost a heartbreaker, 5-4, at home to undefeated Sandwich in a duel that saw four ties. The teams battled for ten minutes until Halsey Aguiar set up Zieff who rifled a shot breaking the deadlock. Nantucket's defensive line and Wing, shut down the potent Sandwich attack until the end of the first half, when Sandwich sailed one over Wing to tie the game.

Nantucket took the lead when second half keeper Goddard booted the ball to Zieff at midfield. Zieff headed the ball over the defender, picked it up and netted. After Sandwich answered, Millington found Zieff who crossed to Kohler taking the momentary lead. When Sandwich evened the score, Zieff nailed a direct kick outside the box for the 4-3 lead. Sandwich answered two more times to end the match. Coach Schuyler Kuhl reported that the Sandwich coach praised Nantucket. "Nantucket had given them their hardest match yet. This was the most exciting game I have watched this season. If they keep it up, I am going to need to bring oxygen to the field."

The U10 girls faced their toughest opponent, undefeated Falmouth, coming away with a 3-2 nailbiter victory and alone in first place. Falmouth sealed their fate before the opening whistle, winning the toss and possession. Nantucket happily took the blowing wind advantage. After two quick strikes against keeper Kelli

Molloy, Kate Daniels floated the ball in after

poaching a Falmouth goal kick that died in the wind. Nantucket has scored first in all six games within seven minutes, never relinquishing the lead. Daniels scored her second a few minutes later on an assist from Claire MacKay, set up by Nora MacLellan. Falmouth finally got on the board at the break.

With the wind in Nantucket's face in the second, the defense tightened up and allowed Daniels to net the game winner with three minutes left in regulation, off a combined assist from Margaret Troast and Julia Campese for an impressive fifth hat trick and 19 goals. Tense players and fans counted down the seconds as the ref allowed injury stoppage time. Falmouth used the wind to snake a shot just over Molloy's fingertips a few seconds before the end, but it was too little too late.

Falmouth impressed Coach George MacLellan. "They were a well coached and skilled team and very tough for us to face. We needed to be challenged to see what our girls could do." Molloy earned man of the match honors with 23 saves, along with Olivia Slade on defense and Daniels on offense. "It was a real team effort, everyone stepped up to the plate. No matter how good the team is we play, our girls always seem to rise to the level needed to pull it off. They deserve this win."

The U12 boys defeated Martha's Vineyard, 4-3, on neutral Falmouth turf. Chris Sylvia struck first off an indirect free kick from Ben Daniels. Five minutes later Sylvia banged the ball in after a run from mid-field. The few Vineyard shots were pulled out of the air by keeper Christian Lombardi. With just minutes left in the half, the ref awarded a controversial penalty kick to the Vineyard. There was no harm, no foul as Lombardi defended the shot, preserving the 2-0 lead at the break.

After Ben Daniels increased the lead jumping on a defensive mistake, the Vineyard stepped up the attack scoring two quick goals. Tavio Goncalves, assisted by Conrad Troast, gave Nantucket some breathing room just before the Vineyard scored again to inch closer.

The U12 girls team remained undefeated at 5-0- 0 overpowering Bourne, 6-1, away. Assistant Coach Louisa Crosby was elated about the level of play. "We had an exciting game and came away with the victory. The girls did a wonderful job and I am very proud of their hard work and focus."

Alexa Crosby scored four minutes in followed by Hannah Pykosz, assisted by Sabrina Dawson and Crosby again for the 3-1 lead at the break with Bourne scoring just as the whistle blew. A determined Jacq Raynor and Cara Garufifound the net, and Crosby earned a hat trick off a cross from Grace Jensen. Kate Freed played a strong game in goal with six saves. Coach Crosby credited the defense for making the difference. "They did a fantastic job of shutting down the opponent and the players continued to give it their all!" Next Sunday the team hosts undefeated Dartmouth.

The U15 boys hosted Mashpee Saturday, triumphing, 4-3, after having been up, 4-0, at the break off two goals by Riley Wynn, one assisted by Luke Daniels, and one goal each by Jake Molloy and Jose Ramirez, assisted by Ryan Murray. "The first half was great," assistant coach Jordi Cabre stated. "Nantucket had a great practice this week and it really showed on the field. They simply wore us down in the second half."

Sunday, the team traveled to Bourne, losing 7- 1. Cabre reported that the team "was playing at half-strength and tired from the day before. We had to switch regular keeper Colin out of goal for Luke Daniels who had a sore knee and could barely run." Daniels did a "great" job in goal and Kohler was "on fire" on offense beside Wynn. Kohler provided an assist when he headed a corner kick from Ramirez into Wynn for Nantucket's lone goal.

In other action, the U14 boys had a strong outing against dominant Martha's Vineyard on Falmouth neutral grass, losing, 5-0. The U14 girls faced off against last year's state champion Dartmouth going down, 9-0. Coach Alisa Leib Allegrini felt "the girls hung in tough but were completely outmatched." She added that even though "they were down 8-0 by the end of the first half; the highlight of the game was that they came out into the second half smiling and positive."

After repositioning several players after the break, the girls kept the Dartmouth team to one goal. Standout players for an improving Nantucket squad were Ruby Fee on defense, Samantha Lockley in the field and in goal, and Grace MacLellan on offense.

The U18 boys lost a close match, 5-4, to Mariner. Had Nantucket had the regular or even the backup keeper, they probably would have easily handled the opponent. Regular midfielder Beau Garufiwas called upon to take over keeper duties for the first time. "I took some rough shots and had some diving saves but I did not enjoy it and I am not going back in the net."

Controlling play until the end of the game, Nantucket kept the game tied off goals by Caleb Mitchell, Bryan Tarcitano, assisted by Philipe Bazilio, Martin Manov, assisted by Mitchell and Bazilio, off an assist from Henry Farrell. With ten

minutes to go Mariner got the game winner. I