Nauset Storm, Napoli Hyannis Battle To Feisty Draw

HARWICH – A full palette of physicality and emotion was put forth between Nauset Storm and Napoli Hyannis as the two Cape Cod Soccer League sides drew 2-2 Sunday evening at Jimmy McPhee Field.

Several yellow cards and one red card were issued during the match, in which Napoli Hyannis came from behind to erase a two-goal deficit to get the draw. A brief squabble between Napoli Hyannis players and the referees ensued after the final whistle due to the proceedings of the game.

Nauset Storm coach John McCully said it was a “frustrating tie.”

The visitors jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first half off headers from Liam Blaisdell and William Schiffer. Napoli Hyannis later converted a penalty kick to make it 2-1.

“That came and gave them some confidence, gave them some momentum,” McCully said.

Then in about the first minute of the second half, a Nauset Storm turnover immediately led to an equalizer from Leonardo Morgado of Napoli Hyannis.

“We talked about not getting caught in possession in the second half, moving the ball a little bit quicker, and the first thing we did is get caught in possession, get stripped and give up the tying goal, and then we had all those chances at the end to take the winner, and we just didn't put it on frame,” McCully said.

Napoli Hyannis head coach Hugo Dutra said the game was “very tough.”

“The game was pretty good. I was happy with it,” he said. “They're a tough team. They're a very good team. Very good match overall.”

At 3-0-4, Nauset Storm sits second in the Cape Cod Soccer League standings. Napoli Hyannis at 2-3-2 are sixth in the nine-team league that’s operated since 1972.

“We wanted the win, but we're OK with the tie,” Dutra said.

Nauset Storm has won the league in back-to-back years and won the postseason championship tournament three times in a row from 2021 to 2023. The team is made up of club players from on and off Cape, most of them in college, who have played for McCully, he said. Also on the roster is Pat Phelan, 40, who played for the New England Revolution from 2008 to 2011.

Napoli Hyannis is essentially an all-Brazilian team. They play a 4-3-3 formation and mostly try to control the wings, Dutra said.

“Overall, it's just [that] each man knows what they're doing, and they play for themselves,” he said.

They started the season winning two of the first three matches but then dropped the following trio of games until the tie Sunday with Nauset Storm.

“Overall, it's decent,” Dutra said. “It's expected for some ups and downs and we just try to get better.”