Rockin' Mules ride win streak

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Expectations were high for the Malverne/East Rockaway girls’ soccer team coming into the 2015 season. With 10 seniors on the roster, and their top two scorers back, the Rockin’ Mules had every reason to believe that a playoff berth was attainable.

So far, so good. After a 5-0 rout of Elmont on Oct. 8, the Rockin’ Mules are 9-2-1 (7-0-0 in Conference AB-6). Kailey Hyland scored four goals, her third four-goal game of the year, and Sarah Saldana had a pair of assists to lead the way. Rachael Putelo added a goal and an assist.

The Rockin’ Mules have won six straight matches, and have scored five goals in each contest. The team needs one win to clinch the conference title, and with two victories Malverne/East Rockaway will earn a playoff berth.   

Longtime head coach Joe Lores is not surprised by the team’s success. “We have a lot of seniors who performed well as underclassmen, so there was every reason to think we’d have a good year,” Lores said. “We have the three of the top scorers in the county, so opponents can’t concentrate on marking just one player and expect to shut us down. Having multiple scorers has been a big difference this year.”

Hyland, who finished second in scoring in Nassau in 2014, picked up right where she left off. With 23 goals and six assists, the freshman forward leads the county in total points. Hyland has scored at least one point in all 12 of Malverne/East Rockaway’s matches.

Putelo’s 18 goals and seven assists ranks her second in the county. In a 5-3 non-league win over Locust Valley, Putelo found the back of the net four times to lead the Rockin’ Mules. Like Hyland, the senior forward has had a goal or an assist in every game.

The third cog of the triumvirate has been equally as impressive. With opponents doing their best to keep Hyland and Putelo out of the net, Saldana has eight goals and 13 assists for the season. She had a four-point game, and set up Alessia Drevnyak for the go-ahead goal in a 5-3 win over Glen Cove.

The Rockin’ Mules have received solid play at midfield from Kristen Mihalich, Ally Partos, Jennifer Alevar, and Drevnyak. The backline of Gabby Walsh, Christine Fessler, Jennifer Dalton, and Samantha Bruzzo has held its own. 

Erica Acampora has been strong in goal. The senior keeper had a season-high 20 saves in the win over Locust Valley, and has been in the net for four of the team’s five shutouts. 

Lores believes the team can get better. “Even though we’ve scored a lot of goals, we can finish better,” Lores said. “We’ve missed on too many opportunities. Our ball touch needs to improve, and we need to get better at controlling the middle of the field, especially against the quality of opponent we’ll face in playoffs.”

The Rockin’ Mules host Sewanhaka this Friday at 4:30 p.m. at Malverne High School.