At midfield, Malverne/East Rockaway is led by Chinchilla, senior Taylor McGinn and senior captain Kathleen Owens. Chinchilla has a knack for setting up teammates, and has four assists to show for it. Putelo and Erica Acampora form a pair of skilled freshmen with excellent soccer IQ. 

While Malverne/East Rockaway has more scoring threats than it has had in the past, Alvarado, an All-Conference honoree as a junior, is clearly the go-to girl. She has scored in each game the Rockin’ Mules have won. Sophomore Samantha Partos is a versatile player who can fill in at six different positions.

Lores, who is assisted by Jen Connell, thinks this team can have a solid season. “We definitely have an edge on defense,” Lores said. “We’re sound on the back line and have limited the opponent’s chances, but we need to create more scoring opportunities for ourselves,” Lores said. “We can do a better job at playing the ball on the outside to spread the defense and open things up for our scorers.”