Thursday, October 1, 2026
Malverne/East Rockaway girls’ soccer continues to find its identity as a young, combined program battles through adversity to start the season.
In the team’s first five games, it tied three times and lost twice, taking a 0-2-3 record into Great Neck South to start the week.
“The first three games were a lot of back and forth,” Malverne/East Rockaway coach Alexa Adduci said. “We have a lot of eighth graders all the way through 12th graders. It’s a lot of different personalities and experience levels, but they really do come together as one and they’ve been stepping it up lately.”
The Rockin’ Mules lost 6-4 against Elmont Sept. 16, as Ariana Chinchilla found the back of the net three times. The sophomore midfielder has five goals on the season.
Senior goalkeeper Caitlyn Crew recorded 13 saves against Elmont, 70 on the season, while defensive midfielder/striker and senior captain Paulina Cuthbert recorded the fourth goal of the game in the loss.
“Caitlin Crew has been really big for us,” Adduci said.
Last Friday, Malverne/East Rockaway fell to Freeport 6-1 on the road, as sophomore Ella Kelch scored the lone goal for the Rockin’ Mules. “Ella is a beast, she just doesn’t give up,” Adduci said. “She’s small but mighty, and she showed that on the goal. She battled to win the ball, stayed composed and found a way to finish. It was a great individual effort, but the goal also gave us a huge momentum boost. It brought everyone together, and seeing the girls celebrate with each other and recognize all the hard work that went into that moment was really special.”
Sophomore’s Scarlet Minnick, Chinchilla, junior Leila Perez and senior Brianna Gonzalez impressed their head coach against Freeport, as Adduci was forced to make some adjustments.
“We started switching things around and trying different combinations based on their individual skill sets, and I moved them out of some of their usual positions,” Adduci added. “They were so receptive to the changes, trusted us, and really stepped up in those roles. They adapted quickly and played them to the best of their abilities, which helped create some great opportunities for us.”
Some other kids who have stood out include senior Dayanara Jose Marino, eighth-grader Mackenzie Hammond, junior Amelia DiStefano, sophomore Carina Mannino, senior Kylie Lazaro, junior Julianna Thorgersen, eighth grade Violet Roth, freshman Annabella Sanchez, and senior captain Elsa Midy.
Going forward, Malverne/East Rockaway takes on Hempstead next Monday.
“We want to continue building that connection and chemistry on the field,” Adduci said. “Soccer is all about communication, trusting the person next to you, and working together as a unit. We want to keep improving our passing, communication, and ability to adjust to what’s happening in the game. Those are skills that will help them both on the field and in real life. And of course, we’re going to keep working hard, competing and trying to put ourselves in a position to win.”
