Emery Cappallo Capitalizes In OT, Propels Monomoy To State Semifinals

HARWICH – The Sharks knew they had what it takes to overcome adversity. 

 After cruising through the first two rounds of the Division 4 state tournament without allowing a goal, the second-seeded Monomoy field hockey team found itself facing an early deficit against No. 7 Cohasset in the state quarterfinals on Friday evening. 

 Sophomore Emery Cappallo netted the equalizer before scoring the winning goal off a penalty stroke with 8:46 remaining in overtime to lift the Sharks to a 2-1 victory over the Skippers.

 “Emery’s been clutch for us all year,” Monomoy coach Kyle Cappallo said of his daughter. “She’s been a difference maker and has scored in almost every game that she’s been in. 

“Her first goal on that corner was huge for us to give us some momentum and let us feel like we could get back in the game, and the penalty stroke is something we practice.”

 Eighth-grader Mia Zimmerman drew the crucial penalty after she absorbed a hard check in front of the Cohasset (14-5-3) net on a breakaway bid. Cappallo stepped up to shoot the penalty stroke and buried it to secure the program’s fourth consecutive trip to the state semifinals.

 Monomoy (19-0-2) was scheduled to meet third-seeded Sutton (21-0) in the semifinals at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday at Bridgewater-Raynham Regional High School. The Suzies advanced to the semifinals after a 2-0 victory over No. 6 Lynnfield in the quarterfinals (see page 5 for coverage of Tuesday’s semi-final game). 

 On Friday, the Sharks proved they are built for the stress that comes deep in the postseason as they dug themselves out of a hole after Cohasset junior Kate Greer scored to give the visitors a 1-0 lead with 7:25 remaining in the first quarter.

 Emery Cappallo answered with the game-tying goal off a penalty corner with 11:24 remaining in the third.

 “Once they scored the first goal, I think we got down on ourselves but we knew we could get it back,” said Cappallo, a Barnstable resident. “We definitely pushed ourselves a lot.”

 Senior defender Ella Reeves said that even when Monomoy trailed, the team remained positive on the sideline during breaks in action. 

 “It was really stressful,” admitted Reeves, a Harwich resident. “We tried to stay as positive as possible. Between every quarter, we tried our best to get everyone up and keep the vibe positive. I think that definitely had a big factor in the outcome.”

 It wasn’t the first close game the two teams have played. On Oct. 4, Monomoy escaped Cohasset with a 2-1 victory after erasing a 1-0 deficit and closing with two unanswered goals. 

 Even when his team fell behind, Coach Cappallo believed another comeback was in the cards. 

 “I knew based on the way we were playing we were able to get some more offensive opportunities,” he said. “They are a very fast team, but we had prepared for this and practiced the [overtime] 7-V-7 for the last week and a half. We were prepared for that, and we felt good.”

 It won’t get any easier for Monomoy on Tuesday against a Sutton squad that posted a dominant 7-0 victory over North Brookfield in the opening round before holding on for a 1-0 win over St. John Paul II to reach the quarterfinals. 

 The Sharks feel built for the pressures of appearing in the Final Four, however, and Cappallo said he’s confident the team will be prepared for another close outcome. 

 “We’re well aware by the time you get into the quarterfinals and then into the semis that every game is going to be tight,” the coach said. “The days of beating teams by three and four goals, I think that’s in the past at this point. We know we’re going to have to outplay a team, we’re going to have to capitalize on their mistakes and make fewer than them. If we do that consistently, we’re going to have our chances.”