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The Plainville Citizen — Thursday, October 1, 2009 the ball as much as I used to, and I have to rely on my foot skills more now as opposed to just my speed and shot before.” Sawczuk indicated that Wrona helped prepare her for the college game. Wrona’s intense sideline manner is not for everyone, but Sawczuk, for one, thrived under the veteran coach’s tutelage. “I like his coaching technique,” she said. “I also feel that he helped me to always push myself to do better while I was in high school. He always offered me constructive criticism and was willing to talk to any coach, at any time, in order to get me where I wanted to be as far as colleges went.” Competing in the rough and tumble Northwest Conference during high school strengthened Sawczuk’s game as well. The now defunct NWC offered stiff challenges for teams. “Playing in the Northwest Conference introduced me to very strong players,” Sawczuk said. “We played against some of the best teams in the state, including Farmington and Berlin. Competing with some of the best players in the state made me a better player.” Sawczuk’s post-high school plans were to study physical therapy and to continue her soccer career. She looked at several schools, including Quinnipiac University, Sacred Heart University, and the University of Hartford, but Springfield College felt like the best fit for her
Sawczuk Continued from page 25 ship Team and a two-year member of the Connecticut Association of Student Leaders,” Zadnik recalled. “The two characteristics that most impressed me about Caitlin were her amazing work ethic and her unparalleled determination and desire to succeed.” In 2005, as a high school junior, Sawczuk helped navigate the Plainville girls soccer team to its first state tournament victory in the 14-year history of the program. The Lady Blue Devils have qualified for the postseason every year since. “She’s one of the most important players for Plainville soccer,” PHS girls soccer coach Leszek Wrona said of Sawczuk. “She’s one of the best overall players I’ve ever coached.” A two-time all-conference player in high school, Sawczuk said her game has changed since she left PHS. For one, she has become more proactive on the field. “In high school I would play forward, and my job was usually to wait for someone to hit a long ball, up either the sideline or the center of the field, and then just chase it and try to get it into the goal,” she explained. “In college, many players are too smart for that and better with the ball in the air … Therefore, I am not chasing
both academically and athletically. “I actually did a recruiting stay with Springfield College, and after meeting the team as well as some of the PT department staff, I knew that if I got accepted to SC, it was the right choice for me,” she said. “I am still sure that I made the right decision.” As was the case when she arrived at PHS, in college, Sawczuk said the start of her freshman year was “very intimidating” soccer-wise “because the entire team knew each other and all of the freshmen were kind of secluded. After preseason it definitely got easier.”
Naturally, however, Sawczuk said the jump from high school to college soccer took some getting used to. No longer were teams staffed by one or two stars, with the rest of the roster rounded out by so-so talent. In college, all the girls can flat out play. “College soccer was different for me in that everyone that I was playing with was also one of the best on her team and most well-known in her conference in high school,” she said. “It was a lot more competitive to win playing time for each game.” Fast forward three years, and Sawczuk rarely comes
off the field on game day. And with time running out of her competitive soccer career, that’s the way she likes it. “I will miss being on a team that I consider family,” Sawczuk said. “I will also miss walking onto our game field with our music blasting and feeling on top of the world. It will definitely be hard to go from competing for so long, to sitting on the sideline to cheer others on.” But Sawczuk doesn’t plan on hanging up her cleats for good. She said, after this season, she’d like to find a soccer league where she can play just for fun.
Soccer
said. And the Blue Devils’ Kevin Ciotto turned in another solid performance in net. “He’s very level-headed. He doesn’t get flustered,” Brown said of the first-year keeper. Against Maloney, Plainville jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead, but headed into halftime clinging to a one-goal edge. “I read the boys the riot act,” Brown said, “and they came out and played like heroes in the second half.” Daquan King tallied two goals against Maloney. Danny Mizura and Mike Costantini had one score apiece.
“They were all fantastic goals;” Brown said, “pretty build-up, great finish.” Brown has been impressed with Costantini, a freshman. “He plays big. He plays strong. He’s the kind of player I like — lots of guts.” After posting back-to-back victories last week, Brown is feeling good about his team. “I’m very happy with the way we’re playing,” he said. “We’re in a comfortable position” in the Central Connecticut Conference-South Division. Plainville’s junior varsity team knocked off Maloney, 31, last week to chalk up its first victory of the season. The Plainville High School girls soccer team snapped its three-game losing skid with a 10-0 victory over Maloney last week. Alyssa Martino and Jill Newton manufactured four goals apiece in the rout. The scoring was rounded out by Melissa Horan and Becky Slivinski. “Everything was clicking for us that game,” PHS coach Leszek Wrona said. Three days prior, the Lady Blue Devils lost to Central Connecticut ConferenceSouth Division power Berlin, 5-1, to drop to 0-3 on the season. Newton scored for Plainville, which trailed Berlin just 1-0 at halftime. “We lost, but we played well,” Wrona said. Overall, Wrona has been pleased with his team’s play this season. “I’m very happy. The girls are working hard,” he said. “I see, every game, the girls playing better.”
Continued from page 25 “We finally started to play, and had several opportunities, but just could not put the ball in the net. Easy chances, but for some reason, there was some sort of force field around that net,” Francalangia said. “I was pleased with the effort, but not the result.” Brown believes his defense had something to do with that perceived force field. “We stayed organized,” he
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Photo by Matt Leidemer
Jill Newton, with ball, netted five goals for the Plainville High School girls soccer team last week.