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10/05/2020 12:00 AMWhen the East Haven girls’ soccer team stepped on the field to play Branford on Oct. 1, the Yellowjackets and Hornets became the first two teams from the Southern Connecticut Conference to compete in the 2020 fall season. After dealing with a tumultuous offseason filled with regulations and shutdowns, Head Coach Jake Hackett and his athletes were happy to be back at the pitch and could hardly wait for the opening whistle.
“We all know that every day we are out here is a good day. No one has a crystal ball. Next week, who knows? Tomorrow, who knows? Every day we’re out there, we are enjoying ourselves,” said Hackett. “We were the first official girls’ soccer game in the SCC. It was a huge honor. For us, it’s just a gift. This group is close-knit from top to bottom, and we like being around each other. We’re out there playing soccer and loving it.”
East Haven wound up taking a 1-0 road loss to Branford in its season opener. The Hornets scored the lone goal of the game on a penalty kick during the first half and then held on for the victory. Despite the loss, Coach Hackett said that the Yellowjackets played with confidence throughout the game and, just like they did during the offseason, refused to quit.
“We have a lot to iron out, but overall, I think we played very well. Our defense held firm. Our offense had plenty of opportunities. It just didn’t fall our way,” Hackett said. “I would have liked to have come out on top, but they didn’t get in. But I think we played very well. If we finished our opportunities, we could have won that game. It was a very good first game out there.”
Hackett felt that the Yellowjackets got out to a bit of a slow start against Branford. After its field at the high school was destroyed by storms, East Haven hadn’t been able to practice on a turf surface in the weeks leading up to the season. However, Hackett said that his squad began to find its stride and started playing what he called “East Haven-brand soccer” during the last 20 minutes of the first half.
With the Easties down 1-0 at halftime, Coach Hackett told his athletes to stay focused as they prepared for battle in the final stanza. Hackett emphasized that the Easties needed to continue playing their style of soccer if they wanted to win. Although the Yellowjackets didn’t get the outcome they were hoping for, Hackett said they put together a strong second half and kept pressing to try to net the equalizer.
Coach Hackett said that junior Emily Mazzucco played an excellent game on the defensive side of the ball for East Haven. He added that Mazzucco, senior captain Aimee DiVerniero, and junior Kate Pycela were all communicating effectively with their teammates throughout the game.
Goalkeeper Angelina Munoz, who leads the team with fellow senior captains DiVerniero and Bella Pilato, made five saves for the Yellowjackets versus Branford. Freshman Valerie Sortito made her debut at the left back position, and Coach Hackett said that she turned in an impressive showing.
“Emily held it down for us throughout the whole game. Ang made some great saves in some crucial situations, coming out and picking off crosses, and on breakaways. Emily, Kate, and Aimee’s organization was good. Val made her debut as a freshman and did a very good job,” said Hackett. “They all played very well, and I’m very proud of them. Defensively, from our goalkeeper to our backs through our midfield, we were strong throughout the whole game.”
As his team looks to regroup from the defeat, Coach Hackett said the Yellowjackets will be focusing on their timing on the field. Hackett believes that the Easties have some good ideas offensively, but that they need to keep working to ensure that those ideas turn into scores. Hackett feels that East Haven is “right there” in terms of producing on offense and will continue circulating the ball in order to manufacture goals.
As the season unfolds, Coach Hackett will be preaching the Yellowjackets’ motto of “Yesterday’s hard work is not good enough today.” Hackett feels that East Haven’s first game versus Branford showed the team where it needs to improve. Hackett is hoping that the Easties will learn from that loss and keep improving every day throughout the season.
“The message going in is to keep on pushing. With a shortened preseason, we’re cramming so much information in such a period of time. They had a week, maybe two weeks to learn everything, but we’re getting there,” Coach Hackett said. “I see progression every day when we step on the field. That’s our biggest mantra. Yesterday was great. We worked hard. Today, we have to work harder. The message is always the same: Keep doing the right things, focus on doing the little things, and we’re going to be successful.”