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11/23/2016 11:00 PMGoalie Riley Powell was relied on to make plenty of saves and emerge as a leader from the back in his recent junior season with the North Haven boys’ soccer team. As a result of his performance in both arenas, Riley was named one of the Indians’ captains for next year and he’s already looking forward to the campaign.
“I’m very excited I was nominated as one of the team captains as it was one of my goals since I started playing high school soccer,” says Riley. “I really think I’ve been able to communicate and talk to anyone on the team, whether it’s a freshman or someone older. My leadership has grown stronger and it shows in games as the team looks up to me as a leader.”
North Haven had a young team this year and it wasn’t exactly the best season for Riley and company in the win-loss column. However, Riley feels that all the hardships the Indians endured will help overcome any obstacles next fall.
“With the challenges we faced, mentally I’ll be stronger because it was one of the roughest seasons I’ve gone through,” says Riley. “As a whole, it helped not only me grow, but my teammates also know what needs to go in to be the best we can be.”
Head Coach Federico Fiondella was impressed with Riley’s composure throughout the season. Fiondella believes his keeper can follow in the footsteps of fellow goalie Chris Musco, a 2012 North Haven graduate who went on to play at UConn.
“I was most impressed with him keeping his cool. It can be very frustrating being back and having plenty of goals and shots on you,” says Fiondella. “It’s very similar to a scenario we had a few years ago, where I told [Musco] you’d develop so much because of this. It’s going to make you stronger for the future. His senior year ended up being one of the best we had, so I think Riley is in for a similar story.”
Riley shined brightest when he needed to stop multiple shots in goal. Coach Fiondella says there were numerous occasions where Riley made back-to-back saves in the box to keep games close for the Indians. Riley started playing goalie when he was eight and then moved to forward before returning between the pipes.
“It was like I never left. Everyone was still young and still developing, so those years away didn’t hurt me,” says Riley. “I was still a novice at it, but as the years have gone, I’ve learned a lot and developed quicker reflexes and have become more aggressive in goal. I’ve gotten a lot better.”
Riley also swims for the Indians during the winter season and plays tennis in the spring. Riley’s primary event for the swim team is the breaststroke. On the tennis court, he’s a doubles player for North Haven, which has had a few successful seasons in recent years.
“It’s very entertaining for me. Having height does help a lot up front because I can take up space and cut off my opponent’s angles,” says Riley of his tennis game. “My fast reflexes from soccer have also helped me react quicker when the ball is hit to me. It really helps me dominate at the net.”
In terms of his performance in the net, Riley appreciates how his teammates on the soccer squad have instilled confidence in him and he’s hoping that together they can lead the Indians to better year in 2017.
“I attribute that to the team. They helped by being reliant on me,” says Riley. “I know they’re confident in me and they don’t have to worry about me not making a save. They know I’ll be able to take care of business in goal.”