Monomoy Field Hockey Ties D-Y, Stays Unbeaten

SOUTH YARMOUTH – The Monomoy field hockey team hit its first bump in the road. 

 After cruising to a 7-0 record after outscoring its first seven opponents 58-0, the Sharks were slowed down in a 1-1 tie at Dennis-Yarmouth last Thursday. Although the Dolphins’ goal marked the first goal Monomoy had allowed all season, the team rallied with a pair of victories over Nauset (7-0) and Falmouth (4-1) to improve to 9-0-1 on the season.

“This is a grass game, this ain’t the same hockey we play,” Monomoy coach Kyle Cappallo said after the D-Y tie. “This is hockey from the 1980s, this is not the same game.

“(The grass) slows you down, but the techniques you play on turf, whether here or college, you have to abandon all of those and go back to the same style of hockey from 15-20 years ago when they only played on grass. The game has evolved so much, it just hasn’t evolved on surfaces like this.”

Junior Sam Clarke scored the team’s lone goal to take a 1-0 lead over D-Y with 5:41 remaining in the first quarter. D-Y evened the score in the fourth quarter, as sophomore Brooke Chicoine buried the equalizer before the teams finished in a draw. 

For the Dolphins, the outcome was one to celebrate. The Sharks were less enthusiastic about the result, and Cappallo was already looking forward to a rematch between the Cape and Islands League rivals at Monomoy on Oct. 16.

 “That’s the first goal we’ve let up this entire season so far,” the coach said. “This isn’t a loss. It sounds like from them that this was a win, but that’s because we’re the team that everyone wants to beat.

“We knew coming into today that this isn’t our strength. This is their strength, and I’ll just say we play D-Y again on turf in a couple weeks and we’ll see how that goes.”

Clarke finished with three goals and an assist to lead Monomoy past Nauset on Saturday, while Mia Zimmerman (1 goal, 1 assist), Emily Layton (1 goal, 1 assist), Emery Cappallo (1 goal) and Sophie Laviree (1 goal) also contributed on the scoresheet. 

Layton netted two goals and assisted on another, Ella Reeves chipped in a goal and an assist and Emery Cappallo also found the back of the net in the Sharks’ win over Falmouth on Monday.

It’s been a dominant season for Monomoy, the defending Division 4 state runner up. Although opponents have been elevating their game against the Sharks, the team continues to rise to the challenge and produce lopsided results. 

Cappallo said he wouldn’t want it any other way but for opposing teams to circle Monomoy on their schedule. 

“I want it. I want that target,” he said. “Bring your best. That’s the only way I can get ready for playoffs, by having tough games.”