With New Coach, An Era Begins For Talented Monomoy Field Hockey Program

HARWICH – Since Laura Morris was first announced as the next head coach of the Monomoy field hockey team back in February, there’s been a few days on the calendar she wished would just finally get here already.

One of those was the official start of preseason practice in August, day one of a new era for the program, which has played in five consecutive state semifinals. Morris’ predecessor in the role, Kyle Cappallo, took the team to four of those, plus two trips to the tournament finals.

With such a high-level team and program, the incoming coach and players have “been figuring each other out,” said Morris, a Harwich High School grad and third grade teacher at Harwich Elementary School. In any context, it takes a little bit of time for a group to effortlessly understand a new leader, and vice versa. 

“We've sort of been giving each other grace and learning from each other, and I think that we're getting into a really good groove at this point,” Morris said.

With the ice now broken, it’s go time for the Sharks. After that first practice, the next day Morris and everyone else has been anticipating is the season opener at Dover-Sherborn on Thursday.

“We really want to get into game mode at this point,” Morris said. “We've been really working really hard, getting in shape and conditioning, and learning some new positions that I think we're ready to put into action.”

Things have been different for the players now under the purview of Morris, who played field hockey under coach Cheryl Poore and at Springfield College. 

Sophomore Mia Zimmerman said the program “just restarted.” The feel is there’s more new with the team than there is the same from 2025, this for a program that’s gone 50-11-11 with 14 playoffs wins over the last four years, that constantly finishes as one of the four best teams in Division 4.

“Every practice is a different day,” Zimmerman said. “Every day gets better. It's definitely different, but I think it's important to be able to adapt to a new environment.”

Earlier this year, Morris said her goal coming in was to give her expectations from the beginning. Now that that beginning has arrived, those expectations in part were enumerated as showing up on time and putting in a full effort at every practice, according to Morris.

The group has also held conversations about how to be good role models for the younger players, and how if they aren’t, they might not find the field. As a teacher, Morris is comfortable with and accustomed to hard conversations with student-athletes and parents/adults alike.  

“It's pretty black and white,” she said. “You put in the effort, and you're going to see the results from that. And there’s so many girls on this team that really want to play the game, and they are here every day putting in the work, so we're lucky.”

This year’s team is captained by seniors Sage Harrison, Kate Huse, Emery Cappallo and Gracen Burrill. Junior Maddy Swett is an assistant captain. As with the start of any season, some other players are new.

With the departure of their previous inserter, for example, corners will look different for Monomoy in 2026. Cappallo, a multi-time league All-Star, usually takes the hit, but other teams are catching on to that, so the hope is to work some alternatives in, according to Morris.

“She hits the ball really hard, and I think that she'll score a lot of goals on corners, but we definitely are going to need some alternatives on the circle for sure,” Morris said.

For Cappallo (whose father was the previous head coach), one discernable difference during the preseason this year has been the pace, and the team is still adjusting as there’s things they have to learn — but they’re also starting to figure things out more, she said.

“We're really trying to just create the foundation and have everyone just feel comfortable with each other's skills and skillset,” Cappallo said.

On the note of pace, Huse said the Sharks have been keeping it and the energy “very high,” learning from each other and learning to work with new players under Morris.

“It's super exciting,” Huse said. “We've been having such a great time with her, and super positive. And she's here for all of us. She wants to be here as much as we do, so it's definitely helpful to have her and her great personality.”

What is certain to not be a change from season’s past is the quality of Monomoy’s schedule this year. As it was last year, the Sharks — who finished last regular season as the top-ranked team in Division 4 — will face test after test after test until the playoffs begin at the start of November.

By the end of September, the Sharks will have played four of Division 3’s 10 best teams as well as the defending champions of Division 4 (Dennis-Yarmouth). The only reprieves this month, on paper technically, are Falmouth, who still finished within the top 15 in Division 3, and St. John Paul II, who were a top-10 team in Division 4.

But whereas the goal at the outset last season might have been setting their sights on another deep postseason run, this preseason the focus has remained on the present and creating a new base for the team.

“Our biggest goal, I think, as a team this year is creating this new environment and this new program for the upcoming players,” Zimmerman said.

No doubt, there’s been a lot of change within the Monomoy field hockey program, but what hasn’t altered is the talent level. Cappallo, who Morris said is a “born leader,” should once again rack up goals with her patented hard hits. Huse, another team leader, will be a threat to score on the forward line, too.

Joining them will be Zimmerman, a Swiss Army knife who can play anywhere on the field. Harrison and Burrill are year-round solid defensive players. Returning in goal is Swett.

“We definitely want to have a good season and try to push through,” Cappallo said. “Got a good schedule, so we're excited to work hard.”