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Easties Score Huge Win Over Branford, Riding Three-Game Streak

After prevailing in both of last week’s matchups, the East Haven boys’ soccer team is riding its first three-game win streak since the 2009 season. The Yellowjackets notched a huge victory over Branford and then defeated Whitney Tech for the second time this year in recent action. With a record of 4-4, Head Coach Mike Papantonio is hoping that the Easties can take that momentum into the final week of their regular season.

East Haven started off last week by hosting Branford for a matchup between local rivals on Oct. 27. When the two teams met earlier in the season, Branford posted a 5-0 shutout over the Yellowjackets. However, East Haven flipped the script by claiming a 3-2 victory versus the Hornets in the rematch.

Sophomore forward Christofher Torres scored the first goal of the game on what Coach Papantonio called a “magnificent shot” from 25 yards away just five minutes in. Branford evened the score 90 seconds later, and the two sides were locked in a 1-1 tie at halftime.

After the break, senior Luis Agudelo drew a penalty kick and converted on his opportunity, giving the Easties a 2-1 lead. With 10 minutes left in the contest, Agudelo struck again by hitting a one-timer from 25 yards out to put the Yellowjackets up 3-1.

Branford inched backed by scoring on a penalty kick with 4:30 remaining in the game, but East Haven held on tight and walked off the pitch with a 3-2 victory. Senior goalie Asa Myers made five saves for the Easties.

“That’s easily the biggest win this year for us. They’re a rival. Emotions were high to start the game,” Coach Papantonio said. “We got that quick goal. It was a position we weren’t familiar with. Branford scoring kind of settled us down a little bit. We resettled, reestablished. We were going to be in for a battle, couldn’t just hold on for a 1-0 win. I thought we controlled the ball well and held on late for the 3-2 win.”

Coach Papantonio said the fact that the Yellowjackets were healthy for the rematch made a big difference in the victory. In the first meeting, East Haven didn’t have Torres or his brother, senior forward/midfielder Junnyor Torres, in its lineup, but they were both on the field for the second go-round against Branford. Papantonio called Junnyor Torres the “unsung hero” of the East Haven’s offense and added that Christofher Torres is a tireless worker whose presence and energy provides an immediate spark for the squad.

Just one day after beating Branford, East Haven was back on the field to face Whitney Tech for another home game on Oct. 28. The clubs had met up just five days earlier with the Yellowjackets earning a 6-1 victory. East Haven completed the season sweep by blanking Whitney Tech by a 2-0 score in round two.

Senior forward Leandro Soto-Molina scored both of East Haven’s goals in the win. Soto-Molina’s first goal came unassisted at the 25-minute mark, and his second score was on an assist from Agudelo in the 59th minute of the contest. Senior Tyrone Solorzano played the entire game in the net and made one save to get the shutout. Papantonio was excited to give Solorzano and a few other players their chance to see what they could do on the varsity stage.

“We used all the bodies. After the emotions and the energy that we needed for the previous game, it was going to be difficult for us to come back and recreate that. We started a different lineup, managed minutes, and got everybody involved,” said Papantonio. “The defense played well enough to keep the attack at bay. They had a couple dangerous opportunities, but we were able to stop them. It was a total team effort. We wanted to be able to keep everyone involved.”

Aside from Soloranzo, Soto-Molina, Agudelo, Junnyor Torres, and Myers, East Haven’s seniors are midfielder Kevin Morocho; defenders Victor Calvillo, Gianmarco Presiado, and Justin Carillo; defender/forward Mat Torres, and midfielder/forward Zachary Sayers. Mat Torres and Myers are serving as the Yellowjackets’ captains.

Several of East Haven’s seniors weren’t on the team last year, but Papantonio said that all the members of that class are excelling as leaders this season and proved crucial with helping the team rattle off its three-game win streak.

“We have six or seven guys that weren’t with the program last season. While there wasn’t much success in the win-loss column last year, you could see these kids were excited to come back,” Papantonio said. “We’re trying to build a culture where our kids want to be a part of it. The kids are working hard, and the results are starting to show. For this season more than any other, the kids aren’t taking it for granted.”

In addition to Christofher Torres, the Yellowjackets’ underclassmen are juniors Brayan Crespo, Ethar Al-hawari, Thanh Ngo, Frank Annunziato, Anthony Sawicki, Merab Nabi, and Victor Rolon; sophomores Nate Rivera and Manuel Crespo; and freshmen Marvin Cardenas, Freddy Lucero, Dom Rivera, and Gregory Vera.

East Haven will finish its regular season with home games against Guilford and Sheehan this week. While he’s happy with the Easties’ recent success, Coach Papantonio knows that his squad isn’t going to rest on its laurels heading into the final week.

“Now that they’ve had a taste of success, they’re not necessarily satisfied. We beat Branford, but are we going to hang our hat on that for the season? That’s not the sense I get from the kids,” said Papantonio. “They have more confidence. They believe in themselves. We can compete against anybody. These kids don’t want the season to end. They aren’t done yet.”