The North Haven girls’ soccer squad fought its way to a state tournament bid in 2023 and saw an early exit. But now turning the page for the current campaign, the Nighthawks have established a communal persona that they are eager to dominate and make sure their return trip to the postseason lasts just a little bit longer.

A year ago, the Nighthawks accumulated six victories to the tune of a 6-7-3 regular season mark, which earned them a bid to the Class L State Tournament. As the No. 21 seed in that draw, North Haven traveled to No. 12 Masuk in the first round on Nov. 6 and took a 2-0 defeat.

The Nighthawks have taken flight by soaring to a 4-3-1 start as they begin the second month of the regular season. Head Coach Gary Collins detailed that the girls seem to be right on track to make the moves to achieve their targets of playing to the crowd in the playoffs.

“Our goals for this season are to make the SCC Tournament, play good soccer as a team, and most importantly, to host a first round state tournament game,” said Collins. “We think all of that would be great for the team, but most importantly for the program. We think this year we have a group of players who has put in a lot of work thus far for the season and are making those goals realistic. Despite not having a JV team, players are competing very well in practices.”

North Haven’s captains this fall are seniors Alison Palmieri, Andrea August, and Hannah Bernando. Both Palmieri and Bernardo (three-time All-SCC Team selection and 2023 All-State honoree) are defenders, while August is on the offensive side and plays forward/midfield.

“All three are heavily involved in making the teammates and the program better by encouraging and pushing the team to be at their best,” said Collins. “All are very good students in the school community. Also, the team bonding activities have been very good within the team, as well.”

Joining Palmieri and Bernardo on the defense is a two-person goalkeeper rotation with senior Alivia Garnett and sophomore Addie Whitcomb. Collins explained that as the two have collectively notched a pair of shutouts for the Nighthawks, they have also been bolstered by a potent offense.

“Both keepers have been very good in practices and as well in the games,” said Collins. “Offensively, for me, this is probably one of the better offensive units since I have been here as the coach. I think the balance we have across the field has been good, and we are getting a lot of productivity from all the offensive players.”

Producing the points on the pitch are sophomore Olivia Ranciato (four goals, one assist), freshman Gia Giamo (also producing four goals and a helper), sophomore Ava Tarasuk (producing three tallies and four assists), sophomore Maya Thompson (three goals, two assists), freshman Eva Hall (three assists), and junior Faith Nichols (one goal).

“Both Faith and Gia have been very good anchoring down our center midfield with their physical tenacity and skill level. We have goals coming from defenders, as well; both Hannah and [sophomore] Lelia Sweet have one each,” said Collins. “Andrea and Alison have been playing very well operating on the flank for us. We feel very good with this group because of their work rate and having an understanding of what it will take to win games. They have been working very hard for each other on both sides of the field, offensively and defensively as a group.”

On Sept. 23, the team played host to Foran and fell 1-0. With 18 shots on goal, Garnett and Whitcomb had 0 saves each.

On Sept. 25, North Haven hosted Amity and took a 2-0 loss. The Nighthawks had 10 total shots on goal. Garnett recorded three saves in net, and Whitcomb had two.

The Nighthawks certainly have their work cut out for them playing in an always deep and competitive conference pool of talent in the SCC. Furthermore, they play in a very prodigious division of the Hammonasset with the likes of Sacred Heart Academy, Mercy, West Haven, and Cross. Yet the girls certainly held their own through the first four divisional duels with a 2-1-1 mark within the conference so far. Despite sporting a bit of a youth movement this fall, the Nighthawks are getting the job done by showing a sense of perspective and care for their teammates that goes well beyond their years.

“This is a very young team, but their maturity as soccer players and understanding of what their roles are and how to get the best out of each other on the field in games helps,” said Collins. “It all helps translate into playing good, competitive soccer, and giving ourselves chances to win games and continue having a very successful season.”

Collins has been the head coach at North Haven since 2019, earning the SCC Coach of the Year award in 2022. His assistant is Jen Yokley, and she’s been the assistant for two years now.

The 2024 North Haven roster is comprised of seniors August, Bernardo, Palmieri, Garnett; juniors Nichols, Carly Ryan; sophomores Whitcomb, Elaina Solimene, Alyanah Santos, Ranciato, Thompson, Olivia McBride, Tarasuk, Sweet; plus freshmen Olivia Palmieri, Giamo, Rebecca Ortiz, Sofia Gamboa, Hall, Zoe Drum, and Elizabeth Garcia.

2024 North Haven Girls’ Soccer Regular Season Results and Schedule

Sept. 3: North Haven 5, Lauralton Hall 1

Sept. 7: Mercy 4, North Haven 0

Sept. 10: North Haven 1, Sacred Heart Academy 1

Sept. 12: North Haven 2, Lyman Hall 1

Sept. 17: North Haven 8, Cross 0

Sept. 20: North Haven 3, West Haven 0

Sept. 23: Foran 1, North Haven 0

Sept. 25: Amity 2, North Haven 0

Tuesday, Oct. 1: at Mercy at 3:45 p.m.

Friday, Oct. 4: vs. Sacred Heart Academy at 6 p.m.

Monday, Oct. 7: vs. Lyman Hall at 7 p.m.

Wednesday, Oct. 9: at Cross at 4:30 p.m.

Friday, Oct. 11: vs. West Haven at 4 p.m.

Monday, Oct. 14: at Foran at 5:30 p.m.

Friday, Oct. 18: at Amity at 6 p.m.

Monday, Oct. 21: vs. Lauralton Hall at 6 p.m.