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12/04/2019 11:00 PMAlexie Rosado always embraced the responsibility of being a key offensive contributor for the North Branford girls’ soccer team. This fall, the senior captain had a productive season that saw her post 11 goals with nine assists, while helping the Thunderbirds qualify for the Class M State Tournament. By virtue of her performance, Alexie earned All-Shoreline Conference First Team honors on the pitch.
“I’m very grateful because, without my teammates’ help, I wouldn’t be able to be as successful,” Alexie says. “It’s all about teamwork. If I didn’t have my teammates to give me the ball, I wouldn’t be First Team for Shorelines.”
Head Coach Pat Kozloski says that Alexie has a natural ability to take on defenders. Kozloski believes that Alexie is one of the toughest players to defend one-on-one in the Shoreline Conference.
“We saw that teams would quickly double and triple team her every time she got the ball. Alexie is a phenomenal dribbler, she has pace, and she was very difficult to defend,” says Kozloski. “We relied on Alexie. Sometimes we kind of just watched her, where we could’ve played off her a little better, but she’s just so entertaining to watch. We wanted the ball to be on her feet a lot this season.”
Alexie wasn’t fazed by dealing with multiple defenders, because she had experience with that as a midfielder with her Premier soccer team. Alexie likes having multiple passing options when the opposition is paying so much attention to her.
“When I was playing Premier, we’d practice with three on me, so I could learn to play like that. Getting taught that way allowed me to have better vision and see potential gaps,” Alexie says. “With attacking players, I would play off them and get it back. My teammates played a good role in that, because they could draw a defender away to allow me to take on players.”
Alexie felt privileged to lead the T-Birds as a senior captain this year. She says the experience made her come out of her shell and be a little more vocal.
“Being captain was very important, but also a big adjustment to me. The past three years, I had a difficult time talking and expressing myself to my teammates,” says Alexie. “When I became captain this season, I had to step up and be more of a role model to them.”
Alexie says the comfort level among her teammates helped make her transition to captain go smoothly.
“I used to have a tough time even calling for the ball. As I got more comfortable, it got easier,” Alexie says. “I got motivation from my fellow captains from previous years. I wanted to keep up what they’ve done and live up to their legacy.”
One of Alexie’s best memories at North Branford was when the Thunderbirds won the Shoreline Conference championship two years ago. Alexie was a sophomore on a veteran team that earned a 2-1 win versus Old Lyme to take the title.
“Being a part of winning the Shoreline Conference two years ago was really good for me. I was really excited to be with the team,” says Alexie. “I wanted to play my best and step up, because I was a sophomore playing with juniors and seniors who were older and stronger than me. It made me want to perform the best that I can.”
Now that her high school soccer career has come to a close, Alexie is getting ready to compete at the collegiate level. She’s already committed to continue her career at Southern Connecticut State University next year.
“I attended a clinic and the coach was there, liked how I played, and we’ve stayed in contact. When the decision was made and he wanted me to play for the team, I was very happy,” Alexie says. “I’m excited to gain more experience and see what college brings.”
One of Alexie’s goals was to play soccer beyond North Branford. Alexie feels pleased that her goal will come to pass at Southern Connecticut.
“When I started to play soccer, it was just to have fun and be active. When I started to realize I loved and enjoyed playing the game, I wanted to develop to do the best I can to play in college,” says Alexie. “When I reached my goal, it was very exciting for me to continue to develop as a player.”