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Sports

Hornets Sting YellowJackets

East Haven varsity boys' soccer gives up a goal in the first half; unable to convert on second half chances.

The YellowJackets came into Tuesday night's game exhibiting a new cloak of confidence obtained after earning their first win against a favored Wilbur Cross on Oct. 15. Still, with an overall record of (1-2-7), East Haven had much to prove taking on Branford (5-3-3). The Hornets came into the game hoping to break a streak of two scoreless ties -- most recently on Oct. 16 away against North Haven.

Branford would waste little time getting on the board.

Off a corner kick from the left side, Hornets' junior #15 Will Pottenger challenged East Haven's defenders mid-air to head in a goal, leaving 33:46 remaining to play in the half. Just seconds later, East Haven's #11 Luan Silva would find daylight but his shot from inside the box was deflected.

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With 6:12 left in the half, YellowJacket junior #2 Michael Parlato worked inside the goal box but to no avail as he was met by a swarm of Hornets.

Fewer than five minutes remained to play when East Haven found their best opportunity of the first half. Senior #10 Klever Cordova took a free kick from about 30 yards out that whirled by both teams' players inside the box, but  Hornets goalie Ivan Feschenko came in for the save.

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The YellowJackets went into the half in a 0-1 hole. But with another half to play, chances still looked good. The second half would provide more opportunities on offense for East Haven making comeback hopes feasible.

However, Branford had other plans. The Hornets came in on the attack. Branford's #4 Saroj Bhandari would deliver a beautiful pass on the fly to #14 Josh Dinoto, but the YellowJackets would dodge the bullet as his shot would sail off to the goalie's left.

Branford's Bhandari would again come into scoring distance in the 32nd minute, but he ballooned the shot off to the far right. Inside the 30thminute, East Haven senior #7 Jordan Carey attempted a 35-yard free-kick that sailed inside the box, but was deflected by Branford's Feschenko. In the 26thminute, Cordova took a shot off junior #6 Ryan Esposito's throw-in that smacked off the football field goal crossbar, demonstrating just how close East Haven was to closing the gap in the second half.

Inside the 16thminute, Silva took a cannon of a shot from 30 yards out, but it was again no match for the Branford goalie. Feschenko came in for the save, preserving his shut-out.

From the 15thminute on, it was all Branford as play rarely crossed midfield. East Haven was unable to put together any meaningful offensive movement, but remained resilient on defense. The YellowJackets were able to stop the Hornets' consistent shots on goal, leaving the score 0-1 at time's expiration.

Coach Javier Rodriguez stressed the team's heart despite the lack of success.

"This is a good group; I love these guys. Heart is never a factor. They've got the heart of a lion, nobody could doubt that. But there are just some things we need to work on," Rodriguez said. "This season's been a little tough, the stress is always on improving our skills, our footwork. I'm stressing defense, thinking ahead and learning to read the field. We'll get there."

This marks the second loss to Branford this season; the earlier game a 0-2 loss on Sept. 29. The loss drops East Haven to (1-2-8) overall. The YellowJackets next game is away at Hamden on Oct. 22.

Note: Two of Branford's more consistent offensive threats Brian Castellon and Ben Backes did not play. Both players are dealing with minor injuries.

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