With the turn of the calendar comes the return of fall high school sports on the Vineyard. And after last year, where girls and boys soccer made it to the second round of the playoffs, football recaptured the Island Cup and the golf team placed second in the state tournament, the hype has returned too.
The girls soccer team kicked off the regular season with a 2-0 win over St. John Paul II at home last week. After going into halftime tied nil-nil, Talia Macaferri and Jane Coogan found the back of the net for the Vineyard as keeper Georgia Magden earned the shutout victory.
Last season, coach Matt Malowski’s team defeated Dighton-Rehoboth 2-1 in the first round of the playoffs but fell to Hanover by the same score in round two. With a year of experience to build on, a still young Vineyard squad will surely be even more fun to follow this season. Next up is Dennis-Yarmouth Tuesday at home starting at 3:00 p.m. followed by another home contest against Nantucket Saturday at 11:00 a.m.
The boys soccer team also started their season last Tuesday on the road against St. John Paul II. The game ended in a 1-1 tie; Parker Bradlee scored a header off a corner for the Vineyarders. Last Friday, the boys hit the road again to take on Bishop Stang in Dartmouth. This time around they secured a 1-0 victory, with the shutout going to junior goalkeeper Finn MacLeod. Porter Moehnke netted the game winner in the 76th minute on an assist from Bradlee.
Like the girls team last year, the boys also defeated their first playoff opponent, Greater Lowell Tech, 4-0. However, the second round ended in overtime heartbreak as Dover-Sherborn sent the Vineyarders home by a score of 3-2. Coach John Walsh’s team features a returning defensive core who were the unsung heroes of last year’s squad. The boys home opener us Saturday against Nantucket at 1 p.m.
On Saturday, the football team battled back from a 14-12 halftime deficit to beat Sutton 40-20 in the season opener at home. The Vineyarders amassed 430 yards of offense in the victory, 305 on the ground and 125 through the air.
Sophomore Guilherme Oliveira was the player of the game, rushing for 197 yards on six carries with three touchdowns. His touchdown runs went for 9 yards, 50 yards and 65 yards. On defense, Oliveira also made six solo tackles and had an interception.
Vineyard quarterback Kaio DeCosta connected for two touchdowns through the air, the first a 40-yard pass to Wyatt Nicholson and the second a 50-yard pass to Aiden Connelly. DeCosta also scrambled for a two-yard touchdown run.
Next up, the boys travel to Brockton this week to take on Cardinal Spellman for Friday night lights. Their next home game comes on Sept. 23 at 1:30 p.m. against Lunenburg.
Also last Saturday, the cross country team hosted 26 other schools for the 16th annual Vineyard Invitational through the Manuel F. Correllus State Forest. The massive meet included two courses, a 3K and 5K that saw three levels of competition, freshmen, junior varsity and varsity runners.
For the Vineyarders, their best times came from freshman Arjuna Begle, who finished the 3K course in fourth place with a time of 12:34.3 and senior Alexa Schroeder who finished the varsity 5K race in eighth place with a time of 20:35.39. Among the Vineyard boys, Enzo Reis had the best time in the freshmen 3K, finishing in 13:42.74. And sophomore Jack Gallagher finished the junior varsity 5K in 21:33.99.
Next up for the cross country team is a league meet with Barnstable on the Cape on Sept. 19. After that, their next race is the Franklin Park Invitational on Sept. 23.
Last week the field hockey team started their season at home against Falmouth. The girls were defeated 5-0. While it was a tough way to start the season against a tough opponent, Coach Becky Nutton’s squad has a strong core of returning juniors and seniors ready to take advantage of another season playing together. Their next home game is Wednesday against Nauset at 3 p.m.
Lastly, the golf team, which was one of the best teams in the league last year with a 12-2 record, is looking to repeat their success with an all-new group of players. Last year’s all-senior squad shot a combined 307 at the state finals, just five strokes back of first place. With their first match of the season postponed due to rain this week. The first home match is scheduled for Sept. 18 against Cardinal Spellman at Farm Neck.
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