By: Liam O’Connell and Mathias Loft
The Skippers (19-3-1) started the year off rather slow, losing to Duxbury 3-0 on opening day and losing three of the team’s first seven games. The turning point of the season was an impressive win by the Skippers over a strong Rockland Bulldog team. The Skippers were not playing to their full potential at the beginning of the season, but they dominated the Bulldogs in all aspects of the game leading to an impressive 3-0 win over the South Shore League powerhouse. The Skips went 8 and 0 in their next 8 challenges, and even more impressively, they didn’t concede a single goal. They scored 29 straight goals before the Clippers of Norwell scored a late goal in dramatic fashion in mid-October to tie the game. The Blue and Whites were led by strong defensive play from Ian Dunkleberger ’19, Grant Guempel ’18, George Bryan ’17 and co-captain Liam O’Connell ’17. The starting line-up is composed of 5 seniors, 4 juniors, and 2 sophomores. Leading the goal scoring was co-captain Mathias Loft ‘17, who compiled 18 goals. Loft was named MVP of the South Shore League’s Tobin Division and Co-MVP of the entire league. This was his 2nd time being named Divisional MVP, after he received the award his junior year. Loft and O’Connell will represent Cohasset at the Eastern Massachusetts Soccer Coaches All-Stars Game. Loft was also honored with being named to the All-State team, as well. Other congratulations should be handed out to Mitchell Buckley ’17, George Bryan ’17, Liam O’Connell (C) ’17, Grant Guempel ’18, and Cam Pattison (C) ’18 for being named League All-Stars. In addition, a special shout out to the Skippers infamous Bench-Mob. The Bench-Mob, led by captain Will Lucier, has become the emotional backbone of the squad. Other Bench-Mob members include Patrick Slater ’17, Fisher Hunnewell ’17, Danny Varney ’17, and Jack Speer ’17.
The Skippers entered the MIAA tournament playing their best soccer. The squad beat a strong Millis team 4-2 in the first round of play. The Blue and White moved on to play the Old Colony Cougars in the Skipper dome in the second round; the Skips dominated play, defeating the Cougars 5-0 and cruised into the South Sectional Semi-finals. Then they played the Mashpee Falcons in Brockton on a brisk November night. The Skippers jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in the first half, but the Falcons put the pressure on in the second half. Thanks to an unbelievable late game save by sophomore goalkeeper Ian Dunkelberger, the Blue and White were able to defeat the Falcons 2-1 and moved onto the South Sectional Championship. Cohasset took on the undefeated Nantucket Whalers in the finals. The Whalers knocked the Skippers out of the tournament last year, so the squad was thirsty for revenge. The game was knotted in a 0-0 tie at half time, but thanks to a second half hat-trick by sophomore Chris Longo, the Skippers exploded offensively in the second half defeating the Whalers 5-0. With the win, Cohasset moved on to play in the State-Semi Finals against an offensively potent Boston International squad. In a thrilling match, Cohasset defeated the Lions of Boston International 2-1, thanks to the goal of the season by Senior Gavin Dunkelberger, a late game finish by Junior Cam Pattison, and strong defensive presence by the back four. With the win, the Skippers advance to the Division 4 State Final to take on the Monson Mustangs. If the Skippers win, it would be the school’s first state championship in soccer. #RollSkips
The boys’ soccer team lost 3-2 in overtime to the defending state champion Monson Mustangs. They fought hard and delivered an exciting end to an unforgettable season, making Skips nation proud.
Spinnaker 