Soccer squads endure tough losses
BY LINDAWILLIAMS CONTRIBUTING WRITER
It was hard for Nantucket to eke out a win last week on the soccer pitch, with both the girls' and boys' varsity and JV teams dropping two games each. The one bright spot on the week was the continued victory march of the boys' and girls' middle school teams, with each nailing its opponent to the net.

MICHAEL GALVIN/The Independent Briana Vittorini keeps the ball rolling during Sunday's action against Quincy North.

The girls' varsity and JV teams hosted Martha's Vineyard before a packed crowd under the lights at the football field last Tuesday. Neither team could pull out the win with the varsity losing, 3-0, and the JVs losing, 2-1. At home Sunday against Division 1 North opponent, Quincy, the teams were disappointed again, with the varsity taking a 6-0 loss. As of press time, the girls had three games left, two against Provincetown and Sturgis, teams the squad has beaten during the regular season.

The varsity and JV boys traveled to Martha's Vineyard last Wednesday and also dropped their games, 1-0 and 2-1, respectively. However, the varsity game should have been knotted at zero at the end of regulation. As a result of one of the most unfathomable calls by a referee so far this season, and there have been many games with questionable refereeing both on and off island, the Vineyard managed to slip ahead with 12 minutes left in the game. A ball rolled past Nantucket's end line, without a Nantucket player having last touched the ball, and with the closest Nantucket player having been waived off by keeper Russell Bartlett. Rather then award a goal kick, the ref, who was clearly out of position, called a corner for the Vineyard. The possession arrow was so clearly

in Nantucket's favor, the Nantucket players had moved up field in anticipation of Jasper Young's long kick and were not defending the goal. The Vineyard took advantage of the unprotected net - and a quick pass from the ball boy - and took an unusually speedy corner kick when the player noticed Nantucket was up field too far to defend. The cross was one-touched and fired past a defenseless Bartlett.

During the post game pizza get together, the Vineyard coach and players were heard telling the Nantucket players that the call was wrong and apologized for the "bad luck" Nantucket had. Coach Rich Brannigan felt that the incident amounted to the worst "momentum buster and game changing call of the season." Brannigan added, "The Vineyard could not get the best of us the entire game and could not get past our defense or Russell, but it was taken out of our hands after that. It was very disappointing."

The CPS boys soccer team trounced the Lighthouse Charter School, a small private school in Orleans with playing fields in Brewster, last Monday, 4-0. Ben Daniels, Chris Sylvia, Henry Fee and Keegan Bartlett, with his first goal of the season, combined for the total. Coach Matt Parker praised the steady play of Ocean Kane. "His passing and crossing ability eats guys up down the wing, and he sets up many goals, including the first one in this game with his extra effort and hustle."

With three games left in the season against Mattacheese, Lighthouse Charter School and Wixon at home on Nov. 2, there is a real chance the team could improve its current record of 4-1-1 to 7-1-1.

The CPS girls annihilated Lighthouse Charter School last Tuesday away, 10-0. Nantucket scored nine in the first half alone and then played a passing game for the entire second half, scoring only one more. Among the scorers for Nantucket were Alexa Crosby (two), Cara Garufi(two) and Kali Sherburne, who tallied her first two goals of the season for a 4-

2-0 record to date. I