The Whaler girls soccer team has been trudging through a difficult season so far, but they were able to win their first game of the season on Monday with a 3-1 road victory over the Dennis-Yarmouth Dolphins. Adney Brannigan continues to excel for Nantucket as a freshman, leading the way on Monday with two goals for the Whalers.
“I’m really happy for these girls,” head coach Brian King said. “They’ve worked hard and I think it is a credit to these seniors for keeping the team together and making sure that chemistry remains high. When those losses start to pile up that is when the bickering can begin, people start pointing fingers, so kudos to these seniors because there hasn’t been any of that on this team.”
The Whalers found themselves in a scoreless tie at halftime despite carrying the play for most of the half. One of those leaders King is talking about has been Macy Crowell, who has had several 12-plus save performances this year to keep Nantucket in games. She wasn’t busy Monday afternoon, but made an excellent stop late in the half to keep the Dolphins off the scoreboard.
“Macy is capable of doing it all on the field but this year we have needed her back there in net and she has been a wall for us,” King said. “She’s actively communicating and talking to the girls from the net. She embraces that leadership role.”
The Whaler’s offense came out equally aggressive in the second half but were able to start capitalizing on some of their scoring chances, with Brannigan scoring the game’s first goal to give Nantucket a lead.
Several minutes later Evelyn Fey came streaking down the field and struck a beautiful ball from outside the box that was perfectly placed just under the crossbar to make it 2-0.
“Evelyn has always had that ability since she was in the eighth grade,” King said. “She has always had a great shot and is one of those players you need on your team who can score and make something happen on her own.”
The Whalers let one in just a couple minutes later, but Brannigan struck again with her second goal of the match to give the Whalers their two-goal lead and momentum right back.
Crowell went on to make a couple more key saves to preserve the lead in the second half and was once again solid in net for Nantucket.
The Whalers had been knocking on the door this month of earning that first victory. After several efforts where they felt like they were on the cusp of breaking through, they sealed the deal with a full 80-minute effort Monday.
“I think they came out with a lot of energy and that Nauset game (lost 8-0) was tough on us,” King said. “I felt like we lost some energy after that and then today we were able to control the play with four subs who could give some of these players a break. I think that helped them out tremendously. But just to see that ball go in the back of the net for the first time today, it gave us such a big boost.”
The Whalers were scheduled to host the Sandwich Blue Knights at 4pm today, but Athletic Director Travis Lombardi said it was “wishful thinking” that games could be played Tuesday morning as the island feels the effects of this nor’easter.
In other Whaler sports news,
Boys Soccer Ends Early Due To Lightning, Come Away With Win
The Whaler boys soccer team was holding onto a 2-1 lead over the Dennis-Yarmouth Dolphins when the game was abruptly delayed and later cancelled due to a thunderstorm in the area on Monday.
Lombardi confirmed Tuesday afternoon that the MIAA would grant Nantucket the win since one half of play was completed, improving their record to 10-4-1 this season.
The Whalers have three regular season games remaining on their schedule. The Whalers are currently the 10th seed in the Div. 4 MIAA State Tournament standings. The tournament will include 32 teams.
