The Vineyard boys' soccer team and their fans head to Taunton High School today to take on the Norwell Clippers in the division three south section championship game. Start time is 2:30 p.m., and the winner will advance to state semi-finals.
Rainy weather and a slippery, muddy field made little difference to the Vineyard boys’ soccer players Thursday night, as a hat trick by the team’s leading scorer and a strong showing from both veterans and newcomers powered the team to a decisive 4-1 postseason win over visiting Old Rochester.
Jason Lages's trademark run has served him well so far this year. He has a team-leading 29 goals and 12 assists, and has broken Lucas Brewer’s 2005 school record for goals in a season.
Their regular season ended Wednesday with a win before a home crowd, but the Vineyard soccer boys are hoping to keep the wins coming as they enter the postseason. Games begin next week.
The 2-0 win over Dennis-Yarmouth came despite the fact that the team’s leading scorer was on the sidelines. Junior Jason Lages drew a red card in a game Monday against Bishop Stang. Lages will sit out round one of the playoffs next week.
Esteban Aranzabe will take over as head coach for the boys team this fall, while the girls team will be led by Rocco Bellebuono. Both men are well known as longtime coaches and leaders in the Island youth soccer program.
The best youth soccer teams in Massachusetts competed at the state Tournament of Champions this weekend. The MV United boys team took home the championship in the under 18 bracket and did not allow a single goal against them in the tournament.
Coop De Ville is the unofficial headquarters for World Cup fever on the Island. The Oak Bluffs waterfront bar was a colorful scene Thursday during the opening match between Brazil and Croatia.
Last fall Olivia Pouliot, 12, became the newest and youngest member of the Olympic Development Program. Olivia has been playing soccer on the Island since she was five, and often “played up” in the youth soccer league because the overall pool of girl players is small (at age nine, she played on an Under-14 team).
David Wallis was elected president of Friends of Vineyard Soccer during the board’s annual meeting on Jan. 9, taking the helm from Richard Bennett, who served the organization for three years.
