Seniors (from left) Aly Carpenter, Angela Gervasi, and Ashley Pyne are the captains for the Mount St. Joe soccer team this fall. (Photo by Tom Utescher)

by Tom Utescher

After five seasons as the school's varsity soccer head coach, Catherine Kulp has moved on from Mount St. Joseph Academy. The Mount didn't have to look far for a new soccer skipper; he's someone that the players are used to seeing around school every day.

In addition to serving as varsity assistant coach and JV head coach for the last four seasons, Bill Naydan is also a member of the MSJ faculty in the mathematics department.

His assistant this season will be Kerriann Kane, a former goalie for Villa Joseph Marie ('08), the longtime champion in the Athletic Association of Catholic Academies and winner of numerous state titles. Helping out with the JV team will be the new head coach's father, Bill Naydan, Sr., who has worked with scholastic players at Central Bucks West.

Last fall, the Mount emerged from the AACA campaign in third place, with a mark of 8-4 (11-5 overall).

Seven seniors graduated from that squad, but there won't be much of a drop-off in terms of talent and experience since a number of this year's seniors (eight of whom are returning from the 2015 varsity roster) have been significant contributors since their freshman year.

One obvious absence for the Magic will be in the goal cage due to the departure of Charlotte Sands, a six-footer who already began to start for the Mount during her ninth-grade season.

Stepping into the cage this fall will be another lanky keeper, senior Kieran Glowacki. Coach Naydan says that in early practices she looked like she's been putting in work at the position already and is ready to go. Glowacki's understudies are both freshmen, Gina Sassane and Alex Lerro. Lerro is the younger sister of Dana Lerro, a 2012 graduate who was a crew standout and went on to row at Duke.

Two members of this year's senior class, both key offensive players, have made verbal commitments to college programs. Ashley Pyne will play for La Salle University, and Angela Gervasi, a St. Philip Neri grad from Lafayette Hill, is headed to Ursinus College.

Along with classmate Aly Carpenter, they are tri-captains for the 2016 Mount St. Joe squad. The other returning seniors are Paige Comtois, Maddie Finnegan, Regan Fitzgerald, and Julia Hawthorne.

By comparison, the current juniors who are back from the 2015 varsity are relatively thin on the ground, a quartet formed by Liana Alcaro, Grace DiGiovanni, Maddie Feeney, and Caitlyn Vesey. Naydan said that early training sessions have shown him that sophomore Mary Kate McDonough is ready to join the varsity defensive unit.

Older players who will help make for a deep talent pool are seniors Micailla Fitzpatrick, Gwyn Manchester, and Bridget McGonigle and juniors Lizzie Friel, Megan Prue, and Deirdre Regan.