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11/21/2017 11:00 PMMolly Mazzucco is a three-sport athlete at East Haven High School who recently completed her career with the girls’ soccer team and is now getting ready to do indoor and outdoor track in her senior year. Molly has excelled in all three of her sports thanks in large part to the fact that she’s constantly working hard.
In track, Molly took a liking to the jumps and hurdles events. On the soccer field, she played a mix of goalie and defense throughout her career. However, this fall Molly primarily played left back for first-year Head Coach Jake Hackett’s squad and says she gained a lot of confidence from manning that position.
“When I stepped on the soccer field, I didn’t have confidence in myself and my abilities, but this year, I knew that from pretty much the first week of working with Coach Hackett it was going to be a much better season confidence wise,” Molly says. “It proved to be true. I gained so much confidence in my abilities and that really showed through.”
While Molly had switched between playing the net and the field in the past, Hackett felt she was best suited to become a full-fledged defender this year. He says he was impressed with how Molly responded.
“I think that last year, kind of by default, Molly got thrown into the goalkeeper position. She’s a good goalkeeper, but I saw her as a very strong, left-footed field player. She took to left back and, every coaching point I gave, she did and she performed better than I could’ve expected,” says Hackett. “The key is, she’s such a hard worker and willing to do whatever is needed for her team. She’ll do anything asked of her and, every little thing she could do to get better, she did. It’s a credit to her for working as hard as she was willing to work.”
Molly enjoyed her stint as a goalie, but after seeing some time as a left back, she realized that position was more of a natural fit.
“I enjoy the physicality and the opportunities that defense brings me, especially as a wing back,” Molly says. “I’m able to go up and take on more offensive opportunities. I found a lot more positives.”
Molly earned the title of senior captain for the girls’ soccer squad this fall. She feels her experience as a goalie helped prepare her for that role since she was already used to voicing instructions to her teammates during games.
“Being a goalie helped me, because I’m able to vocalize my thoughts. When you’re in the heat of the moment, you need to be quick, direct, and effective. It’s important you can communicate, so they get what needs to be done immediately. What you say on the field isn’t criticism. It’s what needs to happen to prevent a goal or capitalize on an opportunity,” says Molly. “Being put in a captain position this year really validated what I had worked hard for all these years playing soccer.”
Molly’s best event in track is the high jump, and it’s also her favorite event. Molly is looking forward to competing in the high jump as one of the Yellowjackets’ captains this year.
“The high jump was introduced to me in my freshman outdoor season, and I loved being in the air and landing on the mat,” she says. “The whole motion of it, even though it’s so quick, the jump and being in the air feels like I’m going in slow motion. The whole nature of it, it’s such a good environment.”
Molly currently holds East Haven’s indoor track school record with a leap of 5 feet. She’s looking to either break or match the outdoor record of 5 feet-4 inches.
“The school’s indoor record is 5 feet, and I’m holding that. For outdoor, it’s 5-4, and I’m working hard to get there,” she says. “I’m doing specific workouts to work those specific muscles. Technically wise, I’m watching professional videos, and find when I critique them and make notes on their foot placement and drive, it makes it easier to identify those myself and make adjustments. [Coaches Rusty Dunne and Bob Davis] worked with me on my approach, and I’ve learned a lot by videotaping myself, so I can make adjustments when they’re not there to help.”