Cape Tech Boys Clinch Mayflower League Soccer Title

HARWICH – It didn’t take long for the Cape Cod Tech boys soccer team to return to the top of the mountain. 

After a down season in 2023, the Crusaders completed their turnaround on Thursday when they clinched the Mayflower League’s Small Division regular-season title with a 4-0 victory over visiting Old Colony. 

The win clinched the program’s first league title since 2022. 

“We were knocking [on the door], and these boys had destiny in their hands,” Cape Tech’s first-year coach Nick Conti said. “The whole season has been a fight, and I love it. These boys are resilient and they’ve given me everything they had, the seniors especially.”

Seniors Gabriel Martins and Aidan Smith, junior Connor Gibson and sophomore Rahvarion Smith all scored goals for the Crusaders, who improved to 13-2 after rolling to a 5-0 victory at Cape Cod Academy on Monday. 

The team has won nine straight games, and it will close out the season against Atlantis Charter on Wednesday after The Chronicle’s deadline. 

Martins said the winning streak has been the result of the team never getting complacent with its success.

“We’ve been getting better and better every game,” said Martins, a Hyannis resident. “I’m just so happy for everyone, it wouldn’t have happened if everyone wasn’t doing their job and giving their best.”

After posting a 7-8-3 record last fall, Cape Tech elevated itself to the top of the Mayflower League after out-scoring its opponents 77-16 through its first 15 games. 

While the wins have been a reflection of the team’s talent, the players also attribute their success to how close they have become since they first began practice in August. 

“It’s a family now,” said senior Lucas Santos, a Yarmouth resident. “We started off as just players, but now it’s family. We really know how to play soccer as a family.”

“We’re working as a team,” added Alex Malone, a junior from Mashpee. “We’re all working together, we’re putting trust in each other, and we’re not playing selfishly. We trust our teammates, which is the biggest thing for us.”

Although the team’s regular season ends Wednesday, the Crusaders are far from done. They are currently ranked No. 33 in the latest MIAA Power Rankings released Friday, and they will be heading to the Division 5 state tournament regardless of the result in their regular-season finale. 

For now, though, the team is reveling in its return to the top of the Mayflower League. 

“I can’t tell you how great it feels to be back again,” Malone said. “We went from being a really great team to not winning as much last year, and now we’re back to where we are now. It’s the best feeling.”