Lady Rockin' Mules at .500

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The 2018 soccer season hasn’t been exactly what Malverne/East Rockaway was hoping for. A year removed from a league championship, the Rockin’ Mules haven’t been able to rise to the level of competition in their new conference, which comprises Mineola, Great Neck South, Glen Cove, Great Neck North and Clarke.

After a 4-1 loss to visiting Glen Cove on Sept. 26, Malverne/East Rockaway fell to 3-3-1 (1-3 in Nassau Conference AB-6). Alex Pozo’s first half goal was all the offense the team could muster. Senior keeper Emily Chelius had 10 saves.

Head coach Joe Lores believes some of his team’s woes are due to an inability to forget. “Something goes wrong, and we’re unable to put it behind us,” Lores said. “Winning the conference last season meant we’d have a new challenge; a step up in competition. We haven’t proven that we can be a formidable team in this league as of yet. I think if we put our effort and concentration into playing to our potential, we’ll be fine.”

The play of senior Kailey Hyland has been a bright spot. The senior captain, who has won the county scoring title three times, has 10 goals and seven assists. In a 3-2 loss to Great Neck South on Sept. 24, Hyland found the back of the net for her 100th career goal.

It’s more than talent that has enabled Hyland to succeed. “She has the ball-handling skills and a great foot, of course, but it’s also her knowledge of the game and her ability to see the whole field,” Lores said. “She gets marked and doubled, but finds ways to distribute to teammates. We need others to step up and score.”

Pozo, who earned All-Conference honors as a junior and is second on the team in scoring, has a knack for being in the right place at the right time, and getting hustle goals. Senior forwards Juliet McCarthy and Giovanna DeMilla are both capable of finishing.

Malverne/East Rockaway is young and talented at midfield. Sophomore center midfielder Ayeisha Lawrence is fast and fearless, and does a nice job winning balls out of the air. Freshman Kendra Chinchilla has knowledge beyond her years. Rounding out what should be a big part of the future of the program at midfield is sophomore Merines Hernandez.

Chelius has handled most of the net minding duties, but her ability to play multiple positions gives the team versatility. She had a season-high 25 stops in the loss to Great Neck South. Junior Samantha Clare is also seeing time at keeper.

An injury to senior captain Angela Morgan has junior Hunter Vertuccio playing sweeper. Hard-working, senior stopper Nia Moore forms a nice tandem with Vertuccio. Seniors Laura Millar and Ally Partos are a pair of experienced fullbacks. Senior Gabby Herrera and juniors Natalie Landaverde and Jocelyn Lovera provide depth.

Malverne/East Rockaway will be back in action when Long Beach visits for a non-conference game on Monday, Oct. 8 at 10 a.m. at Malverne High School.