Monomoy Boys Soccer, Field Hockey Teams Look To Build Upon State Finals Appearances

HARWICH – It’s going to be another special fall at Monomoy. 

 After the boys soccer and field hockey teams each suffered losses in last year’s Division 4 state championships, the Sharks are hoping to keep the good times rolling and take the next step this season. 

 “There’s two sides to it,” Monomoy boys soccer coach Keith Clark said. “We think that we did well last year and we obviously felt good about our run. I think our returning players, which are most of our key players, want to get back there again and they feel like we came up a little short.”

 The boys soccer team suffered a 1-0 loss to Lynnfield in the state final after marching through the postseason as the No. 9 seed. The team brings back a lot from its 15-4-1 state runner-up squad, led by seniors Ryan Laramee, Seamus St. Pierre and Finn Hyora. 

 Laramee is the reigning Cape and Islands League Mariner Division Most Valuable Player, and Clark expects him to have an even better season than he produced last year.

 “I think he can be even more dominant this year,” the coach said. “We’re going to have to move him around a little bit because teams will be scheming to stop him. He’s a senior captain, so he commands a lot of respect because of his work ethic and his performance. I think he can score even more goals this year, but I also think he can create more chances for other players as well.”

 Laramee’s younger brother, Tate, a sophomore, is also expected to be a key contributor, while Keith also views seniors Vidan and Niko Vujosevic as two returning players who should make an impact after battling injuries throughout last fall. 

 One major question surrounding the Sharks is the loss of last year’s senior goalkeeper Paul Carlson, though Clark is confident that freshman Tyler Layton has all of the tools to be strong between the pipes. 

 “He’s got all of the tools,” Clark said of Layton. “Physically he has the athleticism and he’s talented. He picks up things very quickly, he just doesn’t have the experience. There’s shot-stopping but then there’s also goalkeeping, which encapsulates cutting off crosses, reading the back four and distribution. He’s developing quickly but he’s still young.”

 Although Clark isn’t talking to the team too much about last season, he knows last year’s success will put a target on Monomoy’s back. He wants his players to be prepared for opponents to give them their best as they look to claim the league title and make another run at the state title. 

“We’re not really talking about it much other than the fact that we know since we were successful last year, teams are going to be looking to get us,” he said. “They are going to play their best game against us, and that creates challenges for our new players.”

Monomoy’s field hockey team hopes it gets the opportunity to avenge last year’s 4-0 loss to Uxbridge in the state final. Like the boys soccer squad, field hockey brings back almost its entire starting lineup from last year’s 17-3-3 team with the exception of senior captain Susannah Brown, who is now playing at Johnson & Wales. 

Up front, junior Sam Clarke, sophomore Emery Cappallo and freshman Sophie Laviree will anchor the forwards, while UNH-bound senior captain Emily Layton will lead a midfield trio that includes sophomores Sage Harrison and Kate Huse. 

Senior captains Ella Reeves and Bella Bellefeuille return to the backline alongside junior Tessa Grodzicki and in front of freshman goalie Maddie Swett, who also returns.

“The only starter we lost is Susannah, but eighth-grader Mia Zimmerman has stepped up and done a pretty good job so far,” Cappallo said. “We’re still pretty strong — probably stronger than we were last year at this time.”

Cappallo said one major focus heading into this season has been the team’s conditioning. Monomoy was outmatched by Uxbridge’s speed at times during the state final, and the Sharks coach wants his team to be prepared to run with every opponent on its quest back to the championship.

“We’re spending considerably more time focusing on our fitness than the Monomoy program probably has ever before,” Cappallo said. “That’s a major cornerstone. We still have a long way to go, but at this point we’re much more fit than we were. We’re transitioning to a team that’s more agile and quick.”

With so much firepower returning, Cappallo acknowledged expectations are sky high for the Sharks, who are set up to continue to compete atop Division 4 for years to come.

“The expectations are high,” he said. “I think once you get to a state final, anything less than that feels like a disappointment, especially if you’re returning so many players who are basically all aged up. Even still, in the starting lineup we still only have three seniors, so we’re pretty evenly distributed with juniors and sophomores and I don’t expect that to change in future years.”

The Monomoy field hockey team hosts Nantucket in its season opener at 3:30 p.m. Friday, while boys soccer opened its season at home against Falmouth on Tuesday, after The Chronicle’s deadline.