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05/20/2024 12:02 AMGirls’ Lacrosse
The North Haven girls’ lacrosse team hosted Stratford/Bunnell on May 13 for its Senior Night. The stars of the night were the nine seniors in Nola Coyle, Grace Martin, Mallika Gazzarapu, Snooty Salzano, Ava Chagnon, Kylie Pollard, Sydney Pitcher, Madisen Karavas, and Catherine Bianchi, who all celebrated their four years as part of the program.
North Haven jumped out to a quick 4-0 lead with goals by Bianchi, Pitcher, Coyle, and Karavas. Stratford responded with a few, but the Nighthawks widened the lead to 9-2 at the end of the first quarter and then to 13-3 at halftime. Bianchi tallied five more goals, with Pitcher, Coyle, and junior Clare Cullagh also adding scores.
Senior defenders Gazzarapu, Chagnon, and Pollard were strong in the back court, protecting goaltender Emily Shea who sticked nine saves for the afternoon. Together, they stifled the Stratford attack, with the help of juniors Olivia Hollovach, Senny Saribasik, Rap Raposo, and Emma Kwieraga.
Protecting their lead while enjoying their Senior Night experience, the Nighthawks played smartly and sharply in the second half. Junior Molly Martin and senior Salzano scored emotional goals in the fourth quarter, to the delight of the entire team and the JV and Freshman Team cheering section. Salzano’s goal was a perfect ending to a great senior night at the middle school turf, as North Haven won 15-6.
On May 15, the team hosted Newington in the final game of the regular season. The weather was dreary as the game tipped off, and the Nighthawks came out of the gates very slow, ceding a 4-1 lead to the visitors. Sensing a senior night letdown from the game two days prior, the coaching staff inserted the high-flying JV midfield line of freshmen Lexi Ori and Peyton Harkins, and sophomore Reece “Mousey” Jason to ignite the Nighthawks. North Haven drew to within 4-5 at the half with goals by Coyle, Bianchi, Pitcher, and Karavas.
At the other end of the field, the defense recovered from the early lapse by inserting their zone “Nashville” defense, led by Pollard, to shut out Newington in the second quarter. Shea was outstanding in net throughout the game, notching 14 saves to keep the Nighthawks in the mix.
In the second half, the Nighthawks regained the form that brought them success earlier in the week. Goals by Bianchi, Coyle, and Pitcher knotted the score at seven with less than five minutes left. The game continued back-and-forth, until Ori put North Haven ahead with three minutes to go on a nasty free position shot that she stuck in the upper right-hand corner. Moments later, Karavas gave the home team a 9-7 lead with a crazy goal.
A few more fantastic saves by Shea in a furious push by the visitors in the last 45 seconds preserved the victory for the Nighthawks by the slightest of margins, 9-8. It was a great conclusion to the season for North Haven in front of a raucus and drenched crowd.
Softball
On May 13, the North Haven softball team closed out the regular season with a 5-3 home win vs. Jonathan Law. Gabriella Blanchard and Isabella Blanchard drove in two runs each, and Alexandra Anquillare also recorded a hit. Reece Hebert took the mound and pitched a full seven-inning game. She gave up five hits and three earned runs while striking out two batters.