Val Sortito has the mentality of “that ball is mine” on every play when she’s playing defense for the East Haven girls’ soccer team. Heading into her senior year, Val will take on a larger role within the Yellowjackets’ defensive corps—a role that she says she’s ready for.

Val grew up around soccer and says that everyone on mother Lorena’s side was always playing the sport. When she visited family in Ecuador, Val remembers watching her cousins play. Val saw their passion from the beginning and, as she played soccer more, Val’s own passion for the sport began to flourish.

“I’ve always been around it. I grew up playing with my mom’s side of the family. Every time I went to visit Ecuador, all of my cousins played,” says Val. “Seeing how much they loved the sport really got me into it. It made me fall in love with it, and I never stopped.”

Val started playing soccer in East Haven’s youth league at age seven, continuing through her 8th-grade season. She then played three years of middle school soccer at East Haven Academy. During her 7th-grade year, Val joined South Central Premier and still plays for that program to this day.

Val realized how much soccer meant to her as she continued playing the sport. When she entered high school, Val was playing alongside many of the same people that she’d competed with at the youth level. High school soccer was a new challenge for Val, but she had both the experience and connections with her teammates to help make her transition to the Easties go smoothly.

“It was definitely nerve-wracking at first, but having all the girls there that I grew up with and got to play with was an advantage for me,” Val says. “It was easier. It was like a second family to me already.”

Val was already seeing varsity minutes in her freshman year. While she played a few JV games, Val was on East Haven’s varsity roster for the entire season. Val understood that she was going to have to face higher levels of competition as a freshman and, since it was her first year in the program, there could be some miscues. However, just like when she first came to the Yellowjackets, Val knew that her teammates would have always have her back and pick her up after a fall.

“It was tough. I felt like I had a lot of pressure on me, but I knew every time I messed up, I had my teammates there to back me up,” says Val. “I had my teammates there to lift me back up and tell me everything was OK.”

Even with her teammates beside her, Val felt that she was a bit timid on the soccer pitch during her freshman campaign. However, as she’s worked her way through the program, Val has been able to find her voice on the field. As she enters her senior year, Val wants to be more vocal and use her experience to lead the Easties.

“As a freshman, I was less vocal. My senior year, I want to be more vocal,” Val says. “I know the game pretty well now. I just want to help my teammates out and win.”

Val will have ample opportunities to be a defensive leader for East Haven in her senior season. The Yellowjackets graduated four seniors from last year’s team, including three members of their defense. Two of those seniors were Emily Mazzucco and Kate Pycela, who Val credits for helping improve her skills on the defensive end of the field. Now taking on a leadership role herself, Val wants to make sure that she serves as the same support system for the incoming freshmen that the outgoing seniors were for her.

“This year, I want to try and lead the defense. I think a lot of the players here are capable and put in the work this offseason,” says Val. “I just want to give them help, the same help I received from Emily Mazzucco and Kate Pycela. I want to be the same help for the incoming players.”

Head Coach Jake Hackett says that Val has been an important piece of the Yellowjackets’ success since she entered the program. Hackett describes Val as a standout defender who has shown that she can be a strong leader for the Easties as a senior.

“Val has been a contributor to our program since she was a freshman. Val is a quality defender and a defensive leader in the back. She is both a quality leader and an exceptional teammate who shows great kindness and compassion and truly cares about her teammates,” Coach Hackett says. “I’m very excited to see Val play for us this year, and I know she will give quality performances and exceptional leadership.”

From playing with them from her days in youth soccer through her senior year, Val says that her teammates are like family to her. As she steps on the field for her final season with East Haven, Val feels that the Yellowjackets are a relentless team that’s ready to show everyone just how much they’ve grown.

“It means a lot to me. We’re a family,” says Val “We’re a strong team. We’re relentless. We just keep working hard, even though we don’t have the numbers of other teams. East Haven has always pushed through everything.”