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12/12/2021 11:00 PMWith only 17 players on his roster, North Haven girls’ soccer Head Coach Gary Collins felt that the 2021 season was all about adapting and adjusting to the competition. Once North Haven made those adjustments, the team found its groove and made a run to the quarterfinals of the Class L State Tournament.
North Haven finished with an overall record of 9-10 for the fall campaign. North Haven made states by winning its regular-season finale and then claimed victory in its first two games of the draw to reach the quarterfinal round.
“Coming in, we set the goals aside a little bit. Our numbers were down, and we wanted to see what we were looking at. We had to focus on keeping players healthy, so we could go the distance,” Coach Collins said. “Once we got into the season, we started thinking about how we were going to make states. It was week by week.”
North Haven went 7-9 during the regular season this year. Following a 4-0 win over West Haven on Oct. 1, Coach Collins and his athletes spoke about the team’s goals and what it would take to achieve them. North Haven started to adjust its formations with an eye toward making the playoffs. North Haven spent a lot of time concentrating on its defense and, throughout entire the regular season, the team allowed more than three goals in a game just twice.
“We played well during the regular season. Once we adapted to our numbers and adapted to the situation, we put things together. We had to change formations a couple times based on the teams we were going against,” said Collins. “Some of these teams played a high-press game. We didn’t have the personnel or numbers. We had to adapt and work on things in practice. It gave us a chance to counter.”
Three days after its team meeting, North Haven claimed a 6-1 victory at Lyman Hall. Ultimately, North Haven’s playoff hopes came down to its regular-season finale, where the team defeated Career-Hillhouse by a 9-0 score to clinch its spot in the Class L State Tournament. Coach Collins said that once North Haven achieved its goal of reaching the postseason, his players’ mindset began to change as they now realized they would have a chance to compete for a title.
North Haven entered the Class L State Tournament as the No. 21 seed and took on No. 12 Bullard Havens for a road game in the first round. The team had two weeks of high-intensity practice heading into the contest. Senior captain Ada Forbes scored three goals, junior Lily Coish had two goals, and sophomore Rebbeca Ford and freshman Andrea August both scored a goal to lead North Haven to a 7-1 victory.
“When it comes to tournament, one-and-done games, the mindset has to be different. The intensity level has to be different in practice. Everybody goes all-out right from the bat. If you lose, you’re out,” Coach Collins said. “We beat Bullard Havens 7-1. It was a great situation for the girls because, for a lot of them, it was the first time they played in a state game. Winning the first game is always huge. It gives you confidence.”
In round two, North Haven played a road game against Ledyard, the No. 5 seed. Ledyard scored the first goal of the game to take a 1-0 lead, but Forbes netted three-straight goals to lift North Haven to a 3-1 win. Senior goalie Annalise Moulis made five saves as North Haven knocked off Ledyard and advanced to the quarterfinals.
“We stayed at that high-consistency level. It was a long drive. Our legs weren’t ready to play within the first 25 minutes. It was high pressure,” said Collins. “They scored first, but we were in control. There was a lot of confidence. It was just a matter of us settling down and getting our legs underneath us. Once we did, we just took the game over.”
North Haven went on to face No. 4 seed Waterford on the road in the quarterfinals of the Class L State Tournament. North Haven took a 3-0 defeat against Waterford to finish with a record of 9-10 on the year.
Forbes led North Haven as the team’s senior captain this season. Forbes, a forward, scored 25 goals during the regular season and then added six more goals in states on her way to earning All-SCC First Team and All-State First Team accolades. Forbes was named North Haven’s Most Valuable Player and also earned the Coaches’ Award for her efforts both on and off the field.
North Haven’s two other seniors were goalkeepers Moulis and Sophia Chagnon. Moulis was the starter this year and had several big games in net for North Haven. Chagnon also got some starts during the season. Collins said that Chagnon always wanted to win and used her competitive edge to help drive her teammates to perform their best.
North Haven will be returning all four of its starting defenders for next season. Junior Aisling Pretty, who won the team’s Sportsmanship Award, will be joined on the outside by freshman Alison Palmieri. Coach Collins said that Pretty is a physical player who should only improve with experience and that Palmieri is a solid technical player who shined late in the season.
Junior Ilana Blumenthal and freshman Hannah Bernardo are central defenders for North Haven. Collins called Blumenthal a technically sound and organized defender. North Haven’s coach added that Bernardo isn’t afraid of anybody on the field and is always willing to battle. Bernardo earned All-SCC Second Team honors this season.
Junior captain Giavanna Damone will be back as a leader in the midfield next year. Damone provided a calming presence for North Haven while still playing with assertiveness this season. Sophomore midfielder Rebecca Ford continued to improve her game and picked up more experience that Collins said will pay dividends for her as she moves through the program.
Sophomore Cameron Ryan moved to central midfielder this season and used her athleticism to perform well at that position. Fellow sophomore midfielder Lily Coish was an All-SCC Second Team honoree for North Haven. Coish also saw some time at forward as Collins tried to match her up against opposing team’s outside backs due to her superb dribbling ability.
Sophomore forward Anna Mortali was named North Haven’s Most Improved Player for the 2021 campaign. Coach Collins said that Mortali will be more of a focal point in North Haven’s offense in the future.
North Haven’s roster also featured juniors Samantha Adams and Molly Marottolo, sophomore Juliana DiMartino, along with freshmen Andrea August and Olivia Coish.
Although North Haven went into the season low on numbers, Coach Collins thinks that could actually be a blessing in disguise for the program since so many players were able to get significant minutes. Collins is hoping all of that experience will benefit North Haven when the team looks to go on another postseason run next year.
“We’re in a good place coming off of this season. You’ve got your experience. Now it’s about working off of it. Once players get the taste of varsity soccer, they want to keep it and will do whatever they have to do to get better and keep it,” Collins said. “We’re in good shape because of the numbers and the opportunity to play and train against tougher players. They should be prepared for what’s coming.”