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10/13/2019 12:00 AMBoys’ Soccer
The East Haven boys’ soccer squad earned its first victory of the season and its first win with Head Coach Mike Papantonio when the Yellowjackets defeated North Branford by 4-0 score on Oct. 8. Following the victory, East Haven took losses against Notre Dame-West Haven and Foran to move to 1-9 on the year.
The Yellowjackets earned an early penalty kick when North Branford was called for a handball in the box. Senior Alejandro Sanchez stepped up and buried the PK to give East Haven a 1-0 lead. Sophomore Brayan Crespo followed by scoring three-straight goals to increase the lead to 4-0.
Junior goalie Asa Myers made a big play right before the halftime whistle. With East Haven up 2-0, North Branford lined up for a PK. Myers made a diving one-handed save to preserve the shutout, and East Haven carried that momentum into the second half to ultimately earn the 4-0 win.
“It’s really a classic cliché, but it’s a weight off my shoulders,” Coach Papantonio said. “When results are not in our favor, it’s difficult to pull positives out, but the boys continue to work hard. I’m preaching every game to compete for a full 80 minutes, and this is the first time we put together a complete game. It’s nice for boys to see the fruits of that labor.”
The following afternoon, East Haven took a 9-1 defeat at Notre Dame-West Haven. The Yellowjackets grabbed an early lead when sophomore Ethar Al-Hawari scored off a corner kick five minutes into the game. The two teams played even for the next 30 minutes before the Green Knights broke it open.
The Yellowjackets finished their week by dropping a 1-0 contest to Foran in a home game on Oct. 11. Coach Papantonio was proud of the way his four new defenders—seniors Telmo Romero, Diego Ortiz, Jean Soto, and Anthony Harrell—performed throughout the contest. Myers made 16 saves in net for the Yellowjackets.
Girls’ Soccer
The Easties split a pair of games last week and are now 3-5-2 this year. The Yellowjackets earned a 4-1 victory over North Branford and then took a 4-1 loss at Foran.
On Oct. 8, East Haven visited North Branford and left with a 4-1 win. Sophomore Emily Pycela played a strong game up top by setting up her teammates with great scoring opportunities. Head Coach Jake Hackett added that the back line of sophomore Emily Mazzucco, junior captain Aimee DiVerniero, senior captain Christina Fazzino, and sophomore Kate Pycela also played a great game, along with junior goalkeeper Angelina Munoz.
Sophomore Emma Szewc opened the scoring for East Haven on an assist from senior Edith Kwadan-Naab. Kwadan-Naab then found the back of the net on an assist from Emily Pycela. Junior captain Bella Pilato scored East Haven’s third goal on an assist from freshman Gianna Mendez, after which Mendez scored the team’s final goal from Emily Pycela.
On Oct. 11, East Haven took a 4-1 defeat at Foran. Kwadan-Naab scored a goal for East Haven on an assist from Mendez.
Volleyball
The Yellowjackets came away with a win and a loss last week to move to 5-5 this year. East Haven took a 3-0 defeat to Guilford, but came back to edge out Branford by a 3-2 score, marking its second win against the Hornets this season.
On Oct. 7, East Haven dropped a 3-0 decision (25-16, 25-21, 25-15) versus Guilford. Senior Bella Ragaini finished with 22 assists and seven digs, while senior Eliza Goldberg had nine kills and a pair of blocks for the Yellowjackets. Senior captain Samantha Schlottman added three kills in the match.
Two days later, the Easties went on the road and rallied for a 3-2 (25-21, 22-25, 20-25, 25-8, 15-8) win over Branford. Ragaini turned in a huge performance with 40 assists, 10 digs, and five aces for East Haven. Sophomore Magdalena Barthel finished with seven kills and two aces in her first career varsity start. Junior Carly Cordova contributed 12 kills, 12 digs, and four aces.
Girls’ Swimming and Diving
The East Haven-Wilbur Cross (EH-WC) co-op squad lost two contests last week and is now 0-7 on the season. The Yellowjackets took a 94-76 defeat to Guilford and then lost to Lyman Hall by the score of 95-88.
On Oct. 7, EH-WC lost to Guilford, but still posted seven first-place finishes and recorded 11 personal-best times at the meet.
Three days later, the Yellowjackets took a defeat to Lyman Hall. Senior Alaiana Robert dropped her time by five seconds in the 100 butterfly in the team’s closest meet of the season.
On Oct. 12, the Yellowjackets hosted their Lion Heart Fundraiser and raised $165.83, bringing the team’s total up to $325.83 for the year. Further donations can be made when EH-WC hosts Law on Thursday, Oct. 17 and at its home meet against West Haven on Monday, Oct. 28. Both meets begin at 4 p.m. at the East Haven Town Pool.
Football
East Haven was on the bye week for Week 5. With their record of 4-0, the Yellowjackets will return to action when they host non-conference opponent New Fairfield on Friday, Oct. 18 at 7 p.m. at Frank Crisafi Field.