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10/20/2022 01:36 PMThe East Haven girls’ soccer team came into the 2022 season facing a lot of change. Having lost quite a few seniors after last season, there were many younger players who had to step up and take on more responsibility this year. Despite facing a variety of challenges and the season not going as well as they had hoped, the Yellowjackets have continued to work hard, and Head Coach Jake Hackett feels optimistic about the future of his program.
“We’re having a tough year,” Coach Hackett said. “We want to win games and be successful, and we’ve been in a lot of tight games that could have gone either way for us.”
While the end results aren’t always what they want, Coach Hackett said that his players are consistently competing and putting forth their best effort every day—and playing close games against tough teams reflects that sentiment. This season is largely about growth for the Yellowjackets.
“We graduated a lot of seniors last year, so this is a growing year for us,” said Hackett. “Many of the girls have done a good job of stepping up and contributing.”
The Yellowjackets’ four seniors are playing a huge role in the growth and development of the team this year. All four of members of East Haven’s senior class have stepped up and helped set up the team for success. This includes senior captain Gianna Mendez, who is proving a great leader for the Easties on the field.
“Gianna is an exceptional player who is impressive in every way,” Hackett said. “Her offensive and overall ability is top-class.”
Senior Gabriella Gaetano is also serving as a senior captain for the Yellowjackets this year. Coach Hackett noted Gaetano’s versatility on the field and said that she’s stepped up in multiple roles throughout the 2022 season.
“Gab can play both midfield and defender and has excelled in various positions,” said Hackett. “She has become a strong leader off the field for the younger players.”
Senior captain Sydney Herard helps manage East Haven’s play on both offense and defense during games.
“Syd works well with the other captains to be a true leader and has worked really hard this year,” said Hackett.
Senior Julia Crisci has returned to the team after sitting out last year. Crisci is also a hockey player, so it became a tough balance, but Coach Hackett is glad that she’s back with the Yellowjackets for her senior season.
“I’m glad we have Julia back this year,” Hackett said. “She’s been able to contribute a lot in her return.”
Overall, Coach Hackett believes that this group of seniors has done a great job of leading the team, while helping the younger players grow both on and off the field.
“I’m really proud of what they’ve accomplished,” said Hackett.
East Haven recently took a 7-0 home loss to Guilford on Oct. 11, putting the team’s record at 1-11 on the year. Although it was a difficult game overall, Coach Hackett said that Mendez, junior goalkeeper Seralyn Lendroth, and junior defender Valerie Sortito all turned in standout performances for the Yellowjackets.
“Valerie had a great performance for us defensively, and she made some really good plays,” Hackett said.
Coach Hackett said that Lendroth, who is in her second season as East Haven’s starting goalie, has great skills and has made some solid plays in net. She recorded 30 saves in the team’s game versus Guilford. Hackett added that Mendez always turns in a special performance and is one of the top players on the field no matter who the Yellowjackets are facing.
East Haven has four contests remaining on its regular-season schedule this fall. The Yellowjackets are playing road games against Sheehan, Career-Hillhouse, and West Haven to go with a home game versus Lauralton Hall. Earlier this season, the Easties claimed a 6-0 home win over Career-Hillhouse on Sept. 27.
“We have some winnable games throughout the schedule coming up,” said Coach Hackett. “This team is resilient and they never quit, so hopefully, we can stay competitive.”
One of Coach Hackett’s primary goals at the start of the season was to see overall improvement from the team as a whole from game to game, in addition to seeing the younger players put forth a genuine effort in order to improve in different areas. Hackett has enjoyed watching the Yellowjackets’ athletes work hard while getting better every day.
Still, one of the biggest obstacles that Coach Hackett’s program faces is the size of the Yellowjackets’ roster relative to other teams. With East Haven having a smaller soccer program than other schools, Hackett knows that everyone needs to step up and contribute that much more.
“We are a smaller school than we think we are compared to others. We only have about 30 girls in our program as opposed to 70 like some other schools have,” said Hackett. “It poses a challenge for us, because our girls can’t all play soccer year-round like they can in other programs. When it comes to the season, everybody has to step up more and do their part with less players on the roster.”
Coach Hackett acknowledged teams like Branford and Hand as “top-class programs” that always provide stiff competition for the Easties. Hackett is hoping that his players will continue giving it their all on the soccer field, while continuing to show improvement as East Haven heads into the home stretch of the 2022 season. As much as the current group of seniors will be missed going forward, Hackett likes the work ethic that all of his players are displaying and feels optimistic about next season.
“My hope is that we put the best team we possibly can on the field every year,” Hackett said. “I feel like we are getting better every time we step on the field, and that’s really the primary goal.”
The East Haven girls’ soccer team’s roster for the 2022 season includes senior captains Gianna Mendez, Gabriella Gaetano, and Sydney Herard; senior Julia Crisci; juniors Ana Romero, Seralyn Lendroth, Natalie Brown, Valerie Sortito, Gianna Castellano, Brianna Fernandez, Jennifer Ramsey, Salome Hernandez, Gabriella Francia, Angelly Cordova, Mya Fenn, Julianna Paranto, and Jasmin Pinos; sophomores Valery Orrego, Fatima Magana, Hannah Dudley, Dalexa Pereanez, and Sofia Calixto; and freshmen Ariella Guadalupe, Bianca Ortiz, Jazlin DeJesus, Isabella Maione, Aiyana Davis, Giulia D’Onofrio, and Lily Doheny.