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05/20/2024 12:22 AMFor the North Haven girls’ lacrosse team, this spring was one that may not have concluded with a playoff berth for the group. Yet the girls certainly carried themselves like champions on and off the field with a class and work ethic that will certainly serve them well down the road.
The Nighthawks finished with a 2-13 mark overall for the 2024 campaign. But it came with a satisfying conclusion with back-to-back wins to close out the year. These victories came in the form of a 16-5 final over Stratford-Bunnell, and a 9-8 decision against Newington, on May 13 and 15, respectively.
Head Coach Bernard Pellegrino detailed that while the Nighthawks may not have garnered a great deal of victories in the standings on paper, they certainly made major gains on the field. Every level of a very deep program roster truly committed to its progress, and it showed in creating a brighter road ahead.
“I was very happy with how the team developed over the course of the season, both on the field and off. We had 63 girls on our roster comprising our freshman, JV, and varsity teams, which is the largest program in the SCC,” said Pellegrino. “With those numbers, it is not always easy to assimilate everyone, but the kids really responded. The upperclassmen took the lead and really supported and encouraged our freshman class—all 27 of them. Our freshman team flourished under the guidance of first-year Head Coach Julia Corrice. A grammar school teacher at Montowese School, Julia really embraced the role of freshman coach, and her girls responded accordingly.”
Nine seniors led North Haven this year, highlighted by captains Nola Coyle, Madisen Karavas, and the team’s[ leading scorer Catherine Bianchi. Fellow seniors Malika Gazzarapu, Kylie Pollard, and Ava Chagnon bolstered a stingy defense that ran North Haven’s Nashville zone defense very effectively. On the attack, Sydney Picher, Snooty Salzano, and Grace Martin worked well with the captains in the offensive zone with what Pellegrino called, “our trigger motion offense.”
“Their leadership was apparent from day one, with a unique blend of leadership by example and encouragement for accountability and commitment. I think the rest of the team responded well to their lead,” said Pellegrino on the captains. “Our most memorable day of the season was our thrilling Senior Night victory over Stratford-Bunnell. Not only was it a great comeback victory after trailing 4-1, but we also saw senior Snooty Salzano score her first varsity goal. It was quite a night. This senior class, all of whom made major contributions to the team as juniors, was the backbone of our entire program this year. We will really miss them next year.”
Examining the varsity club’s efforts just a little bit deeper, the Nighthawks housed several seasoned veterans. They certainly were tested throughout the regular season with a formidable slate of opponents, but they persisted, and it certainly paid off in the end.
“Our varsity squad was experienced and confident, starting eight seniors. They knew each other's moves and strengths and looked to capitalize upon them,” said Pellegrino. “Although a rigorous schedule took its toll on them, they never conceded a game, and their desire to succeed was rewarded with wins against Stratford-Bunnell and Newington in the last two contests of the season. As we began game play, our goal was to improve upon our record last year. We also succeeded in that regard, although two overtime losses and some lapses in a few other games could have made that improvement even greater.”
Moving back to the JV squad, the junior ranks collected a dozen triumphs on the turf this campaign with a stingy defense and an attack unit that was quite efficient and accurate with moving the ball towards the net and into the back of it.
“If the freshman team flourished, the JV team dominated,” said Pellegrino, who was also assisted by newcomer and Class of 2016 program alum Samantha Kwieraga. “They tallied 12 wins, most of which were lopsided victories. They played awesome defense for Coach Frank Biceglia, and the attack moved the ball up and down the field, eventually putting it in the net flawlessly. By year’s end, a number of our JV players were getting game time with the varsity team.”
Furthermore, when looking at the main objectives set in place prior to the campaign, the Nighthawks were true to their targets. They hit their marks by adding to the total tally of the program with a tremendous spirit that showed itself all throughout the community, including a fun run for the youth ranks in town.
“We had a number of goals approaching our season. One was growing offseason participation with the indoor lacrosse league and strength and conditioning. We were successful, participating in the winter season with record numbers,” Pellegrino said. “We also had a dedicated group for the strength and conditioning program after school. We were also successful with our annual 5K road race, which had the dual function of helping with our conditioning, as well as raising funds for the North Haven Youth Lacrosse program.”
The team had a number of important accomplishments this season. Led by junior Clare Cullagh and Coyle, North Haven had the best draw control percentage in program history at 63%, which also ranked third in the conference.
No matter how much experience North Haven had on its side, they stayed grounded and kept things in perspective by focusing on the basic essentials of any lacrosse squad. Moving forward, the girls went great lengths to grasp those necessities to put them on the path to prominence moving forward.
“As we entered into our preseason camp, our focus was on improving fundamentals. We drilled that home in our workouts at the bubble in North Branford and on the turf for the first two weeks of camp,” said Pellegrino. “We certainly made progress fundamentally, especially our younger players. We spoke about not being able to move forward with game planning until we were sound fundamentally. I think that sunk in, and we had a concentrated effort that worked.”
The future certainly illuminates for the Nighthawks. The JV team ended up going 12-3 in dominating fashion. That talented group, along with returning junior staters in Cullagh, defenders Liv Halovatch, Amelia Raposo, and attacker Chloe Vogel, as well as other varsity squad members Molly Martin, Ava Prefontaine, Emma Kwieraga, and Seni Sarabasak provide the team, as Pellegrino put it, “with a luxury of talent.”
Additionally, there is the goaltender tandem of junior Emily Shea and freshman Giana Marino. Both girls contributed at the varsity level this year. Shea started most of the games and was rock solid, averaging 12 saves per game.
“Giana is a really talented freshman goaltender, very sound fundamentally, and she has great instincts on her clears. I'm glad we were able to give her some varsity experience this season, because I could see her confidence grow. We are lucky to have two great options in the cage. it should be a great preseason battle for the starting nod between these two friends,” said Pellegrino. “So, with so many talented and hungry young players, I can hardly wait to break camp with these girls and another huge incoming freshman class on March 17, 2025.”
The 2024 Nighthawks roster was comprised of seniors Grace Martin, Pollard, Karavas, Salzano, Bianchi, Coyle, Gazzarapu, Pitcher, Chagnon; juniors Ava Prefontaine, Martin, Vogel, Gianna Fasula, Cullagh, Raposo, Saribasak, Kwieraga, Halovatch, Sophie DeLucia, Ellie Perrotti, Olivia Bracale, Shea; sophomores Reese Jason, Mia Demaio, Michaela Dest, Aaliyah Touch, Ella Pannone, Madison Viveiros, Madison Sommer, Chloe Laydon, Tessa O’Brien, Lia Romano, Avery Cullen; plus freshmen Kaitlyn Kaminsky, Alyanah Santos, Fatima Butt, Grace Segna, Ireland Garney, Kianna Potts, Gabriella Vitiello, Jianna Angelini, Emily Semple, Camila Bianchi, Addison Pizzano, Lyla Prefontaine, Izma Sayed, Cailynn Thomas, Emma Solimene, Alexis Ori, Isabella Criscuolo, Kaylen Fonda, Leila Sweet, Avery Russo, Brenna Wilson, Tessa Grillo, Bianca Keaney, Anna Gail, Carmela Blair, Peyton Harkins, Marino, Maia Cusack, and Lily Donahue.