East Haven Girls’ Soccer Set School Record For Wins in Historic Year
In the fall of 2014, the East Haven girls’ soccer team posted a record of 7-9 and set the school record for wins in a season. This year, the Yellowjackets blew that mark out of the water by finishing 12-5-2 to complete their first winning season in program history. On top of that, East Haven took the SCC Oronoque title outright with a 5-0-1 division record and also won its first round game in the Class L State Tournament by a 4-2 score over Bristol Eastern.
“It was a season beyond our wildest dreams, but the girls believed early on that they could do something special this season and they followed through,” Head Coach Ray Curren said. “The girls expected to go out and win. That’s what they wanted. When they lost, they were mad and that’s what drove them all year. It was an attitude we’ve never had before.”
The dream season started strongly for the Yellowjackets, who roared through its their schedule with seven-straight victories to start the campaign. In those seven wins, the Yellowjackets scored 23 goals and surrendered just two. As a team, East Haven netted 40 goals this season with senior Megan Kikosicki playing a part in 39 of them.
“Everybody was saying she needs help. Last year, she got most of her goals by herself and the team won seven games. This year, the rest of the team was more involved and they did what they did, shattering school records. Put those together, it makes it amazing,” said Curren. “She definitely had a great year. For her to score as many goals as she did, it was remarkable.”
Kikosicki netted 32 goals to set a new single-season record and also added seven assists. She finished with 70 goals for her career—marking another school record as she broke the previous mark of 46. As a result, Kikosicki was the SCC Player of the Year, the Greater New Haven Officials Player of the Year, the New Haven Register’s All-Area MVP, and a member of the All-State squad. Coach Curren said he saw tremendous growth in Megan, who was also named East Haven’s MVP, between her junior and senior seasons.
“A lot is maturity. We talked a lot in the offseason about knowing what’s coming. She had a talk before the season and we decided together that we knew our game-plan,” he said. “Last year was an adjustment for her as she had a lot of help her freshman and sophomore year. This year, she knew what she was getting into and handled it well. One of her biggest areas of improvement was on set pieces. If they fouled her, they were made to pay.”
Another huge reason for East Haven’s success was its defense. Senior goalie Caitlin Esposito was the lone captain for the Yellowjackets this year and wound up making All-Oronoque, while earning the Yellowjackets’ Coaches Award. Esposito recorded a 1.05 goals-against-average, made 92 saves, and notched eight shutouts on the campaign. She additionally set the school record for shutouts in a season and for a career.
The three defenders in front of Esposito also made significant contributions when it came to keeping the ball out of the net. Senior Alex Crisco, as well as juniors AnnMarie DiNicola and Chiara Fusco, played stellar in the back with the latter two also receiving All-Oronoque selections.
“We stumbled upon the three in the back. We were messing with it trying to figure out what do to, realized we had the three really good athletes,” Curren said. “It worked, but it took help from outside midfielders. A lot of it is Caitlin, though. She had the injury last year, came back, and is better than she gets credit for, especially with her organization.”
Additionally, Curren was named the Register’s All-Area Coach of the Year for helping lead East Haven to new heights on both the team and individual fronts.
East Haven’s other goals this season were scored by sophomore Haley Montesanto (3), sophomore Jordan Kikosicki (2), sophomore Marley Herard (1), junior Megan Lendroth (1), and freshman Bojana Mitrovic (1). Junior Izzy Martinez earned the Yellowjackets’ Sportsmanship Award and senior midfielder Liz Harrold finished the year with three assists.
“We had only four seniors, but obviously, we have huge holes to fill,” Curren said. “Especially with Megan and Caitlin.”
From the Sidelines
Regular season wins for East Haven came again Law (4-0), North Haven (3-0), Branford (3-0), Wilbur Cross (5-1), North Branford (2-0), West Haven (4-0), Law (2-1), North Haven (3-1), Wilbur Cross (2-0), West Haven (1-0), and Sheehan 1-0).
In the SCC Tournament, East Haven lost to Shelton 3-2 in overtime of the opening round.
In the Class L State Tournament, East Haven defeated Bristol Eastern 4-2 before losing to Berlin 2-1 in the second round.