This is a printer-friendly version of an article from Zip06.com.
09/16/2018 12:00 AMFootball
The East Haven football team improved to 2-0 on the season by recording its second consecutive blowout victory last week. The Easties went on the road and toppled non-conference opponent Notre Dame-Fairfield by the lopsided margin of 49-18 on Sept. 15. Head Coach Scott Benoit’s team had previously posted a 51-0 shutout against Bassick in its season opener.
It was a sloppy game that featured a muddy field on a hot day, but that didn’t stop the Yellowjackets from scoring seven touchdowns and forcing Notre Dame into committing five turnovers. East Haven’s air attack was working well as junior quarterback Tanner DiVito completed 5-of-7 passes for 131 yards and two touchdowns in the win. Senior receiver Steve Johnson made the most of his two receptions by totaling 90 yards and reeling in a pair of TDs.
On the ground, senior Ryan Cordova ran 11 times for 77 yards and two touchdowns for the Easties. DiVito rushed 11 times for 52 yards and a score, senior Mike Manning picked up 40 yards on his five rushing attempts to go with a touchdown, and junior Mike Castellano picked up 24 yards on five carries with a TD. Senior Evan Damian went 7-for-7 on his extra-point kicks.
East Haven put pressure on Notre Dame throughout the first half and went into the break leading 28-12. Coach Benoit was impressed with the play of senior Steve Mingione and junior Calvin Nelson in the trenches as neither player came off the field in the game. Benoit added that juniors Joe Consiglio, Jake Marquardt, and Giacomo Izzo played great games, as well.
Junior Mike Caruso picked off a pair of passes and recovered a fumble on defense, while senior Josh Rao also jumped on a loose ball for East Haven. Marquardt had a sack with a forced fumble, and Izzo also forced a fumble to help East Haven rout the Lancers (0-2).
“We did good things, both offensively and defensively,” Coach Benoit said. “We threw the ball well and forced five turnovers. Notre Dame has a lot of good football players, but I was very pleased with how our staff prepared for the game.”
Next up, East Haven will hit the road to play Lyman Hall (1-1, 0-1) in an SCC Tier 3 showdown. Kickoff is slated for 6:30 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 21.
Boys’ Soccer
The Yellowjackets earned their first point of the season when they played Foran to a draw last week. East Haven started its week with a 6-0 loss against North Haven, but came back to tie Foran, 2-2, to move to 0-2-1 on the year.
Foran controlled the tempo by putting 20 shots on target, but Easties’ sophomore keeper Asa Myers was up to the challenge and made 18 saves in the game. Offensively, East Haven put six shots on goal. Sophomore Victor Calvillo and junior Telmo Romero both found the back of the net to help the Yellowjackets get the tie. All four goals were scored in the first 30 minutes of play as the two squads played to a stalemate.
Girls’ Soccer
East Haven stands at 0-0-2 on the year after recording its second straight tie to open the season. On Sept. 14, the Yellowjackets took on Wilbur Cross at home and the two sides finished with a score of 1-1.
Senior Jenna Pane assisted freshman Emily Pycela for East Haven’s lone goal. Sophomore goalie Angelina Munoz made nine saves for the Yellowjackets. Head Coach Jake Hackett said that he’s pleased with the leadership of his veteran athletes and added that younger players like Pycela, Bella Pilato, Emily Mazzucco, Kate Pycela, and Alex Castro are stepping up and filling the roles of players who graduated.