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08/30/2020 12:00 AMThe East Haven girls’ soccer team started its conditioning in mid-July with hopes of playing some form of a season come fall. However, those plans quickly came to a halt when the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference (CIAC) paused fall sports as its looked to update its plan on how the season would commence in the face of COVID-19.
“Nobody was pumped to be back on Zoom, but we understood why the CIAC put a hold on it. We just realized we had to be flexible,” Head Coach Jake Hackett said. “This year is not going to be the same as any other year. We just have to continue being flexible as things go.”
Last week, the CIAC held a Board of Control meeting and announced that teams would be allowed to participate in non-contact sport-specific skillwork beginning on Aug. 29. The CIAC also announced that the first date of the fall season is now Thursday, Oct. 1, instead of Thursday, Sept. 24.
Coach Hackett said that his athletes just want to be out there on the field, playing the game they love.
“High school athletes play for the love of the game. The coaches, too. We’re here for the love of the game. We just want to get out there,” said Hackett. “For a while, the big question was, ‘Are we even going to play games this year?’ Now that we do have a date, there’s light at the end of the tunnel. It’s something to look forward to. We are all cautiously optimistic.”
After the CIAC announced its new guidelines, the Yellowjackets wasted no time to hold their first non-contact practice on Aug. 29. The practice consisted of individual skillwork with East Haven’s players broken up into three separate cohorts on the field.
“Normally, for the first couple days of the preseason, we’re doing a lot of individual skill work—dribbling, passing, and receiving—but we get to cap it all off with taking what you learned from the session into a small scrimmage,” Hackett said. “Obviously, we aren’t doing that now. It’s very individual and keeping players safe from each other. We’re adjusting, and the girls are putting in the work, so I’m happy with it.”
Each of the Easties’ three cohorts was led by a different senior captain. Defender Aimee DiVerniero, goalie Angelina Munoz, and midfielder Bella Pilato have been tasked with guiding East Haven through these new restricted practices. Coach Hackett said that all three captains are handling that responsibility well after doing an excellent job of leading the team during the offseason.
“They’ve been great in reaching out to the younger players and making sure they know the schedule and making sure they’re prepared for each session,” said Hackett. “Bella, Ang, and Aimee are great leaders. They’re making sure the girls in their cohorts know exactly what is going on. They’ve done a great job in that respect.”
DiVerniero admits that this new type of practice style is much different than what the Yellowjackets are used to. However, she also feels happy that her teammates are already bonding with each other through this unusual circumstance.
“It is very different splitting up into three different groups, instead of all of us training together. It gives the players an opportunity to work with each other in different ways and build new relationships within the team,” DiVerniero said. “We were all upset that our season has been pushed back, but we are staying positive and working hard to make sure we are ready when the season comes.”
Coach Hackett is hoping to use 2020 season as way to not only teach the Yellowjackets how to improve on the field, but also adapt to the real world. While the campaign would only feature 12 regular-season games and a non-elimination playoff format, Hackett said that East Haven is still preparing to play as if it were a normal year. Hackett wants the Easties to know that if they put in the work, they will find success both on and off the soccer pitch, regardless of the situation.
In terms of season goals, Coach Hackett is aiming for the Yellowjackets to continue building a winning program after they went 7-7-3 and qualified for the Class L State Tournament in 2019. Hackett also wants everyone on East Haven’s roster to appreciate any time that they are able to spend together.
“The bigger, more important thing at this time is that we play and that everybody is still getting the experience of playing this year,” Hackett said. “The experience the girls get every year, being a part of this team, the friendships, the long-lasting life lessons—that’s what my big goals are, to make sure that is all still there, even though we have a different season.”