Scarlet Hawks made first playoff trip in 7 years

By Chris Villani

Sports Writer

The start of the season was a little bumpy for the Milford High girls’ soccer team. The Scarlet Hawks lost three key players to injury within the first two games. Even as they got healthier later in the season, Milford was on the tournament bubble. But a strong finish, coupled with a tough schedule, landed MHS in the state playoffs for the first time in seven years.

“The girls are excited,” Head Coach Lou Colabello said, adding he challenged his team heading into the closing weeks.

“I put them on a mission,” he said. “I told them ‘We have got to do this for the seniors, number one. Number two, it’s been awhile, but you just have to believe. I saw them start to believe they belonged in the tournament.”

Colabello said he saw the development in this team throughout the season, particularly when measured up against some of the top teams in the vaunted Hockomock League.

“We started to compete pretty well with the big clubs, which we have not done in the past few years,” he said. “Our league gets a lot of respect in the playoff seeding because the talent in the league is quite high, and we put ourselves in position to make the playoffs.”

Junior striker Kyla Nashawaty continued to be a star on offense for MHS.

“She is double or triple teamed all of the time,” Colabello said. “And she still creates and she is still able to score.”

Both Nashawaty and fellow captain Ava Baglione, a senior, were offensive standouts for the Scarlet Hawks.

Boosting Milford’s prowess was a freshman, striker Anela Lefter. “She is the best freshman I have seen in years,” Colabello said. “This kid is a phenom. She had 16 assists and she has a cannon from center midfield. She just loves to dish the ball and she makes her teammates better.”

On defense, senior Chloe Murdock returned on goal and Colabello said she came into her own this year with a goals against average hovering around two.

“She is very athletic and she keeps us in games,” the coach said.

The success of the offense took some pressure off the defense, Colabello added; and seniors Isabella Loscerbo and Tayla Seri, along with sophomore Julianna Senna, were able to shine on that side of the field.

Milford’s third captain, Kate Kearnan, also proved to be a leader on defense and in the midfield. “If I could ever instill her aggressiveness and desire and ability to everybody else on the team,” Colabello said, “we would be really good.”

Courtesy photo