Defense sparks Rockin' Mules

It’s been a promising campaign on the soccer pitch, thus far, for the Malverne/East Rockaway girls. At the midway point of the season, the Rockin’ Mules have a record of 6-1-1 (4-1-0 in Conference AB-6), and reside in second place behind Floral Park.

In last week’s matchup with unbeaten Floral Park, Malverne/East Rockaway fell from the undefeated ranks as the Knights got a pair of goals in the opening half and held on for a 2-0 win. Despite the loss, Erica Acampora was credited with 23 saves. Junior Erica Bowe had 21 saves to pick up Floral Park’s fifth straight shutout.

Longtime coach Joe Lores believes steady performance on defense has been one of the keys to Malverne/East Rockaway’s success. “We’ve been pretty stingy on defense, and that’s put us in position to be successful in every game,” Lores said. “We’ve given up one or fewer goals in four of our games, so the girls have done a nice job of limiting opportunities. We need to finish better. We’re creating a lot of chances, but we’re not taking advantage of our opportunities.”

Eighth-grader Kailey Hyland is one player who has been successful in finding the back of the net for the Rockin’ Mules. Hyland, who leads the conference with 10 goals, had scored in six consecutive games prior to the loss to Floral Park. She also leads the team with four assists.

Junior forward Rachael Putelo is a physical forward that opposing teams look to shut down. Putelo has four goals and three assists. She is complemented well by junior Sarah Saldana.

Senior center midfielder Jaelyn Chinchilla, who missed most of the 2013 season with an injury, has three goals and an assist on the season. Chinchilla, a player the Rockin’ Mules rely heavily on, was injured in the opening half against Floral Park and did not return.

Acampora has been stellar in the net. The junior keeper, an All-Conference recipient in 2013, does a nice job at closing angles, and sees the field very well.

The defense is led by Kristen Mihalich. The junior sweeper, who also picked up All-Conference honors a year ago, has a strong foot and terrific soccer IQ. Mihalich handles all of the corner kicks and free kicks. Senior stopper Tenni Olafuyi is a fearless player who is not afraid to mix it up.

Jennifer Dalton has moved from halfback to fullback for her junior year. Dalton usually marks the opponent’s top scoring threat. Fleet-footed senior Courtney Moore has done a nice job defending the outside for the Rockin’ Mules.

Flanking Chinchilla at midfield are senior captain Samantha Partos and junior Samantha Bruzzo. Partos is a skilled player who handles the ball well. Bruzzo is never short on energy, and isn’t afraid to run through the ball. Freshman Destiny Samuel and junior Jess Beauchesne are key performers off the bench.

Malverne/East Rockaway will host Roosevelt on Tuesday, Oct. 14 at 4:30 p.m.