Three teams vied for the Golden Anchor trophy on Saturday as the Vineyard’s soccer and field hockey teams took on Nantucket in the Battle of the Atlantic, a tradition begun last year.
The girls soccer team was the lone Vineyard winner, retaining possession of the Golden Anchor by a score of 2-0. The boys soccer game ended in a tie in regular play, with Nantucket outscoring the purple and white in penalty kicks, 4-2. Field hockey lost 0-5.
The Island Cup football game has a long and storied history, but last year Mark McCarthy, the athletic director at Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School, along with his Nantucket High School counterpart, Travis Lombardi, came up with the more encompassing Battle of the Atlantic tradition for the other fall sports.
“I think the teams are starting to grab hold of it and look forward to it,” Mr. McCarthy said on Monday. “Now they get to play for something like the football team does when it comes to the Island Cup. It’s just an exciting day. [Nantucket] brought over like 50 cars and fans. It was a very good, exciting atmosphere.”
Matt Malowski, the girls soccer coach, said that the win reflected the team’s season-long effort to create a cohesive group despite losing a large contingent of experienced players to graduation and private schools.
He highlighted the efforts of three seniors who worked to make the team feel connected: Delilah Oliver (goalkeeper), Talia Maccaferri (winger), Avery Mulvey (center-mid).
“They did a really great job managing the team this year, making sure everyone felt connected. It’s not just a soccer thing, it’s a being a good person thing,” said Mr. Malowski.
He also praised Esme Colon and Ella Ehrman, two juniors who have played almost every minute of the season.
The game against Nantucket was the last game of the regular season for the girls soccer team before they begin their playoff run.
“It was a great day for the girls,” Mr. Malowski said. “There was a lot of emotion, there was good stand support. It’s always a high energy game when we play against Nantucket. I’m really proud of the girls to be able to manage the energy and the atmosphere and the emotions and pull off the win.”
In addition to the three Golden Anchor trophies, rivalry games were also played between junior varsity and middle school football, junior varsity field hockey, junior varsity boys soccer and junior varsity girls soccer team.
“You have two Islands stranded in the middle of the Atlantic. We’re more similar than we are different,” said Mr. McCarthy. “Our athletic teams have been competing for decades. It’s turned into a good, healthy rivalry between islands.”
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