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09/23/2019 12:00 AMThe Valley Regional girls’ soccer team are off and running this season with four wins already to its credit. Just this past week, Head Coach Lauren MacDonald’s squad earned three victories including one against Cromwell that marked the first time the Warriors have bested the Panthers since 2014. With a 4-1 record just five games into the season, 2019 looks like it will be a strong year for the Valley squad.
The Warriors’ biggest win the week came against Cromwell on Sept. 19. Valley dismantled the Panthers to the tune of a 5-1 home victory. After having so much difficulty against Cromwell in past seasons it was good for the Valley to beat the Panthers so decisively. Coach MacDonald echoed the thoughts of senior captain Caroline Baldwin after the game saying that the team is really starting to jell.
“That was one of our first home game of the season. Before the game, the team got new warm ups and head bands and that made us feel pretty good before we even started playing,” said MacDonald. “After the game Caroline said that we really just clicked together well as a team. Everyone’s always gotten along well off the field, but it’s important to mesh well on the field together, and we did that against Cromwell.”
The Warriors saw a big game from senior forward Ava Duval who scored three goals, and junior Maddie Costello added a pair goals in the victory as well. Both players have been part of a potent offensive rush for the Warriors and that has led to some lop-sided games thus far this season.
“Most of our games we have scored within the first 15 minutes of the half. We’re scoring first in almost every game, which has been a goal for us this year. That’s been pretty awesome,” said MacDonald. “I moved Maddie to an outside wing from a center. She has given us a huge change with her speed and her ability to get behind the ball and score.”
Earlier in the week, Valley faced off against Westbrook and picked up a 6-1 road victory against the Knights. Coach MacDonald never likes to look beyond the game right in front of her team, but she also admitted that going against Westbrook was an opportunity to really prepare for the Cromwell game given the Knights recent improvement, especially in goal.
“There was some stuff that we needed to work on going into Cromwell. We kind of had to get our positioning and speed of play down better,” said MacDonald. “We worked on speed and how to move the ball around Cromwell versus Westbrook. Westbrook has improved a lot from last year. They have a really good goalie, and I think we challenged her a little bit.”
Duval had another big game with three goals against Westbrook, and the Warriors also got scores from sophomores Taryn Frazier and Sophia Surber, as well as, freshman Eileen Russell.
While there is a fair amount of talented young players getting time for the Warriors in certain situations, the squad’s backbone comes from its senior class. Especially the senior captains Sam Calamari and Baldwin.The Warriors have a nice array of experienced players, and Coach MacDonald appreciates the support that her upperclass athletes are providing in her first year as head coach for the Valley program. MacDonald has been especially grateful for the way her senior captains have led on and off the field.
“There are eight seniors on the team and seven of them are starting. They’ve all been great. The whole senior class has been such an instrumental part of the team’s success this year,” said MacDonald. “Sam and Caroline have really been excellent as captains and have been playing great too. Sam is a big part of why we’re winning with her eight assists. She and Caroline are controlling the middle of the field and working really well together.”
On Sept. 20, Valley picked up another road victory, and this time it came in the form of a 6-0 shutout versus Amistad. The Warriors got an early goal in the first half from Costello on a nice cross from Duval. Those types of plays have been a point of focus this year for Valley according to Coach MacDonald.
“Maddie had a score right in the back of the net off the cross in the first two minutes of the game. She ran up to it and one-timed it in. We’ve been working on our crosses as a team,” MacDonald said. “Last year we had a hard time capitalizing in situations close to the goal because we would just shoot when we got close instead of bring the ball across to an open attacker. In these last games we’ve scored three goals off crosses and corners. That was something that other teams had an advantage on us in the past, but not anymore.”
Also scoring against Amistad was Duval (2 goals), Calamari, freshman Grace Abderhalden, and senior Jenifer Caulfield.
Even with the big margins of victory, Coach MacDonald knows that her team will not get complacent in any match. The Warriors play every game end-to-end without let up, regardless of the score.
“What our mentality for each game is that we have to treat each team is our hardest competitor. We have to go into every game the same way. When we go into the second half the mentality is a 0-0 no matter what the score is,” said MacDonald. “We’re trying to stay positive all season so that we can accomplish the goals we set out at the start of the year.”
From the Sidelines
The Valley Regional girls’ soccer team’s varsity roster includes senior captains Caroline Baldwin and Sam Calamari; seniors Lauren Allen, Ashley Bill, Jenifer Caulfield, Alexis DellaRocco, Ava Duval, and Celia Ghilani; juniors Kyra Brennan, Maddie Costello, Hannah Jenkins, Kate Konrad, Katie Morrisey, and Celia Robbins; sophomores Ellie Cost, Taryn Frazier, Jordan Harris, Caroline Hutchinson, Elizabeth Klomp, Sage Lepore, Alexis Massey, Sophia Surber, Hannah Tejedor, and Erin Ward; freshmen Grace Abderhalden, Elizabeth Allen, Olivia Baldwin, Anna Benson, Erin Brennan, Chloe Clark, Kendra Cika, Julia Donahue, Reagan Doyon, Isabell Guiliano, and Eileen Russell.
Head Coach Lauren MacDonald is in the midst of her first season at the helm for Valley Regional. She is assisted by coach Megan Perkins.
For the rest of the season, the Warriors play home games against Haddam-Killingworth, North Branford, Old Lyme, Coinchaug, Old Saybrook, and Morgan. Valley also plays road games versus Portland, Cromwell, East Hampton, Hale-Ray, and Haddam-Killingworth.