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08/30/2021 12:00 AMThe North Haven U-14 competition girls’ soccer team had a perfect season that saw the squad go 13-0 and win the Connecticut Cup this year. Head Coach Dan O’Connor said that excellent chemistry, hard work, and great dedication led to North Haven claiming the cup.
North Haven went 9-0 during the regular season prior to competing in its postseason tournament. As his team entered the playoffs, O’Connor told his athletes to focus on the fundamentals and continue with the strategy that had helped them succeed all season.
“When we started, we focused on defense. Our goal was to not let up goals. That led to our strategy changing as we played with kids the same age as us. We became the dominant team and controlled possessions,” O’Connor said. “Going into the tournament, we focused on basic things—hard defense, don’t allow shots, get it to the middle and run at them. They know the style we’re trying to play.”
In the tournament, North Haven defeated South Windsor (7-0) in the first round, Guilford (4-0) in the quarterfinals, and Meriden (2-1) in the semis to advance to the championship game. Then in the final, North Haven faced Watertown with the Connecticut Cup up for grabs at Albertus Magnus College. North Haven came away with a 5-0 victory over Watertown to stake its claim to the cup.
O’Connor and Assistant Coach Jim Bernardo have both played and coached at Albertus Magnus. After North Haven won the cup, O’Connor felt proud to see his team celebrating on a field that means so much to him and Bernardo.
“The final was at Albertus Magnus, where me and Jim played and coached,” said O’Connor. “Our kids got to experience that. That’s what made it special to me.”
The athletes on the North Haven U-14 girls’ soccer competition team are Carly Ryan, Lilah Bachman, Faith Nicholas, Rebekah Cardwell, Erica Clorite, Olivia Ranciato, Grace O’Brien, Carly Basmadjian, Clare Kelly, Isabella Paradise, Alivia Garnett, Layla Bolarinho, Andrea August, Ariana Calderon, Hannah Bernardo, Olivia Coish, Alison Palmeri, Mia O’Connor, Layne Smith, Danielle Ciuci, and Grace DeNardis. O’Connor and Bernardo were joined by Assistant Coach Scott Smith and Meg Kelly, the team manager.
This year’s team started playing together three years ago. At the time, North Haven’s players were nine years old and playing up in the U-12 division. North Haven was low on numbers and looking to improve, but more girls joined as time went by, strengthening the team.
“We were nine and playing U-12. It was hard. They were outmatched. We were playing up, but they had some success,” O’Connor said. “From there, their friends wanted to join the team, and we were able to grow from there. We’ve pretty much doubled our numbers. They’ve all stuck together, and we’ve had more triumphs than losses. They rose to the challenge.”
North Haven achieved its perfect season in dominating fashion by outscoring its opponents 58 to 5 along the way. From a defensive perspective, O’Connor’s squad employed its strategy and focused on the building blocks that were put in place during the team’s early beginnings. When it came to offense, O’Connor said that North Haven was able to improve its scoring by adding more athletes who play soccer at the Premier level. As the talent pool grew, North Haven found more ways than one to put find the back of the net.
“We diversified our scoring. When we started coaching, we kind of packed it in offensively and hoped to pop a goal in or two. At that time, we had one kid that played Premier soccer. Now, 16 out of 21 kids play Premier soccer,” O’Connor said. “We were able to make things happen. We have multiple players who can put the ball in the net.”
In addition to his team’s goal-scoring skills and defensive abilities, O’Connor felt proud to see North Haven succeed through its strong camaraderie this year. Since everyone is competing alongside their friends, no one wants to let each other down. O’Connor said that level of accountability helped North Haven capture the Connecticut Cup.
“They’re playing with their friends. They’re having fun. They have high accountability for themselves, and they don’t blame each other,” said O’Connor. “They have a standard that they want to achieve. They can go out and get it done. They take it seriously.”
North Haven hasn’t lost a game in its last 28 matches. Coach O’Connor said that the team has come a long way since its inception, and he appreciates the dedication of everyone who helped North Haven get there. O’Connor feels proud about how North Haven has developed a winning culture and become an elite team in the state.
“We had a meeting with the parents and told them the kids can’t be late for practice. The kids don’t want to be late. It means a lot. It creates a culture of taking this really seriously,” O’Connor said. “We weren’t one of the best teams in the state when we started. Now, we are. They proved it. It’s about having all those little building blocks.”