Young Cape Tech Girls Soccer Looks To Build On First Victory In 18 Years

 HARWICH – Slowly but surely, the Cape Cod Tech girls soccer team is making strides. 

 For the first time in 18 years, the Crusaders walked off the field victorious after cruising to a dominant 9-0 victory over Atlantis Charter in the team’s season opener on Sept. 11. 

 Although Cape Tech posted an 0-4-1 record in its next five games, Crusaders coach Eric Rondina has been encouraged by the effort he’s seen his young team display at the start of the season.

“Last year, we had 11 on our roster and then nine or 10 would consistently show up,” Rondina said after Friday’s 8-1 loss to Sturgis East. “This year, we have 15 on our roster and they all show up and play hard. We have a few players that have experience, but we’re still a super young team with one senior and three juniors.”

 It was one of the young girls that netted the team’s lone goal Friday, as freshman Isabella Hoyt was credited for the goal after putting a cross through Sturgis East’s 18-yard box. The cross went off a Storm player for an own goal, but Rondina was thrilled to see Hoyt get rewarded after making a play in the offensive zone.

“She’s never played soccer, but she’s a great kid and is pretty assertive as a freshman,” the coach said.

Scoring goals has been a challenge for the Crusaders since they went on their scoring spree to open the season. The team has tallied three goals in its past five games and have yet to score more than one in a game since their season-opening victory.

Although the team’s hard work hasn’t always shown on the scoreboard, Rondina has been pleased with his players’ effort. He credited sophomores Gabby Freitas, Elianah Campeau and Sophia Riker, junior captain Miriam Dubner and senior captain Cierra Hoyt for setting the tone as leaders for the team.

The big challenge, according to Rondina, is changing the culture around the program, which had gone nearly two decades without a victory before this season.

“It’s sad because girls varsity soccer here has kind of accepted that we’re not that good,” he said. “We have goals, small things, that we want to reach. We’re still a little bit away from reaching our goals, but we still have enough games to do it.”

Opening the season with a lopsided win certainly helped the team buy in to the coach’s message.

“It was wild. That was huge,” Rondina said. “I’m definitely more of a laid-back coach, but I started our first practice by telling the girls that we have nothing to lose. The odds are against us — we know that — but the girls went out there and won 9-0.”

Although the team’s roster has grown since last fall, Rondina said it’s still a challenge to build a lineup with few substitutes at his disposal. With a couple players injured and one away for the Sturgis East game, the Crusaders didn’t have the luxury of catching their breath much during the 80-minute contest.

Still, despite the challenges the team is facing, Rondina is optimistic that this season can lay the groundwork for his young players while setting a foundation for a brighter future.

“We’re definitely focusing on this year, but we feel like next year we’re going to be a lot better because we’re still so young,” he said.