The East Haven boys’ soccer team didn’t have the best year in the win-loss column this fall, but first-year Head Coach Ryan Harrold felt that all the athletes on his squad grew as young men throughout the season. Although the Yellowjackets earned just one win on the field, they meshed together off the field in an effort to create a better future for the program.

“We had 10 seniors this year. I think it might have been the biggest class ever to graduate. Our biggest accomplishment: The boys created their own team this year,” Coach Harrold said. “We did some pizza parties and met up together for dinners. We really made sure everybody came and was involved to create that team culture. A lot of that was missing from past teams.”

In addition to that, the Yellowjackets performed better in the classroom. That’s something Coach Harrold emphasized to his athletes and wants to see hold true moving forward.

“The team...didn’t lose any players at the end of the season based on grades. That’s a big change and a positive improvement,” said Harrold. “I think it’s something the whole team has left behind, and I think in the coming years that kind of thing will be spread to the incoming freshmen.”

The Easties got in the win column when they defeated Harding by a 2-1 final at home on Sept. 15. While that was his team’s only victory of the season, Coach Harrold said the Yellowjackets continued bringing the right attitude to the field on an everyday basis.

“It’s tough to keep motivation up and keep morale up when you’re not winning games, but we did some extracurriculars off the field and tried to keep their motivation up,” Harrold said. “Even though it’s high school, these are young men. I think if you talk to them like they’re still children or have to shield them from reality, they don’t respect that. The boys expect to win, and I think even though they didn’t win, this team loves to play. They’re still out there trying. It’s not hard keeping motivation for people who love to play the game.”

The Yellowjackets’ three senior captains were midfielders Marco Olivar and Kevin Medina, along with defender Max Kwashie. The other seniors on the club were goalie Carlos Portilla, along with Klever Garzon, Rafael Suarez, Amadeo Bugatti, Anthony Jaramillo, Gustavo Calle, and Elvis Hysaj. Coach Harrold held his seniors to a high standard and trusted them to serve as great leaders who communicated with their teammates.

“I told [the team] you need to understand the captains are held to a higher level and hold responsibility. No matter what problems the team had, if players had an issue with playing time or someone else on the team, I told the boys all complaints go through the captains, and the captains are supposed to take care of it if possible. If it gets to a point where I get involved, that’s what we do, but I wanted the boys to try and correct a lot of these issues on their own,” Harrold said. “I think something like that helps form team bonds and helps them understand these boys are out in the real world soon, and they need to have some of these skills to be able to correct issues on their own. The captains stepped up a lot and did this. The captains were also expected to have the team ready, on the field, and warmed up by the time the coaches came. They were the player-coaches. They had a lot of responsibilities this year.”

Coach Harrold stressed team building as a goal this year and felt his squad accomplished that with flying colors. Harrold spoke with his seniors before East Haven’s first game, knowing it could be a tough year record-wise, and everyone agreed to perform a certain way for the benefit of the program in future campaigns.

“We wanted to start a program that, no matter who coaches going forward can continue to have the kids succeed,” he said. “They wanted to leave something for the following year to succeed with. I think that says a lot about the seniors and how much they care about the school, and the pride they have in the team. It’s never fun to lose, never fun not to succeed at the level you know you can, but they held their heads up. They’re a great group of kids, and I fully expect in the next few years for the program to turn around and do a wonderful job.”

One of the most important things for Coach Harrold was that his team’s morale was strong. Even though the wins weren’t there, Harrold leaves the season feeling happy that all of his players had an enjoyable experience as a Yellowjacket.

“I think the boys had fun. When it’s all said in done, in years past when they’re playing with their kids, I hope they can look back and at least say they had fun. If you’re winning and not having fun, it’s not a successful season. If you’re losing and not having fun, then it’s not a successful season,” Harrold said. “People win states all the time, and it doesn’t mean a lot 10 years later when you’re working. It’s the memories of the guys and the fun you had that really sticks with you, and I hope we were able to do that for some of these boys.”