Mount lax has strong seniors, another new coach

Posted 3/18/13

New Mount St. Joseph Academy head lacrosse coach Lindsey Colferai (left) and her senior quad captains (second from left to right) Alex Lista, Dom Nyzio, Olivia Gannon, and Emilee Ehret. (Photo by Tom …

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Mount lax has strong seniors, another new coach

Posted

New Mount St. Joseph Academy head lacrosse coach Lindsey Colferai (left) and her senior quad captains (second from left to right) Alex Lista, Dom Nyzio, Olivia Gannon, and Emilee Ehret. (Photo by Tom Utescher)

by Tom Utescher

When the seniors currently on the Mount St. Joseph Academy lacrosse team face the challenge of adapting to the college game next year, one thing they won’t have to worry about is their ability to adjust to a new coaching style. The members of what is considered one of the strongest classes in the history of the MSJ lacrosse program have had plenty of practice at that – in each of their four seasons, the Magic have had a different head coach.

Of course, this actually works in favor of the Mount’s latest skipper, who seems both very capable and enthusiastic. New mentor Lindsey Colferai is originally from Maryland, and she first came to Philadelphia to play college lax for Temple University. She graduated in 2010, having twice been named to the Athletic Director’s Honor Roll for her academic performance.

She has coached and trained lacrosse players in a number of capacities since leaving Temple. Her resume includes coaching with the Ultimate Goal lacrosse club and working with Threshold Lacrosse, a company that conducts team clinics and provides other forms of instruction.

At the Mount, Colferai will be able to count upon leadership on the field from a senior class that is not only adaptable, but quite talented. Three of them already made college commitments during their junior year; former Norwood Fontbonne Academy athletes Dom Nyzio (midfield) and Olivia Gannon (attack) have signed on with Drexel University and Villanova, respectively, while goalie Alex Lista enlisted with the College of William & Mary.

A fourth senior, Emilee Ehret, has accepted a field hockey scholarship to Penn State, but she is also an outstanding lacrosse player. Scrappy Meg McCabe, a soccer team co-captain last fall, brings additional toughness to the team, and the other two seniors, Jane Black and Marley Breslin, are also seasoned varsity athletes.

Mount St. Joe graduated four members of its 2012 squad, and besides the current crop of seniors the only returning full-time varsity players are junior Natalie Bohner and sophomores Christie Mischler and Katie Meister, all attackers.

Attacker Summer Thomas is the only junior besides Bohner on the 2013 roster, but there are half-a-dozen sophomores. Joining the two returning 10th graders on the varsity are Allie Hoffner (midfield/defense), Chrissy Pascali (a field hockey standout for the Mount who’s playing defense in lacrosse), Amanda Steinberg (attack/midfield), and Jenna Zoldy (defense).

Coach Colferai is also excited about the potential shown by three freshmen; Abby Aita (attack/midfield), Isabella Balcer (midfield/defense), and M.K. Maloney (attack/midfield). Another ninth-grader, Maddie Ferraro, will be the junior varsity goalie, and can back up Lista on varsity if necessary.

Some measure of coaching continuity comes from Colferai’s assistant, Kirsten Sebright, who was an assistant coach for the Magic in the 2011 season.

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