Main Line girls’ soccer squads set to kick off fall campaign

The fall 2019 Main Line high school girls soccer scene features a strong lineup of teams, including defending PIAA 4A District 1 champion Conestoga, which also won the Central League title last fall, and return league Most Valuable Player Caitlin Donovan. In the Inter-Ac, Baldwin School and Episcopal Academy advanced to the PAISAA state tournament championship final.
Here’s a pre-season look at the Main Line high school girls’ soccer teams:

Academy of Notre Dame
Head coach: Steve Wilman, second year.
Last year’s record: 4-16-1 overall, 1-11 Inter-Ac.
Key retunrees: Four senior captains: midfielders Morgan O’Brien and Riley Kinka, backs Mackenzie Koler and Allie Lynch. Other key players are junior goalie Megan Mackey, junior forward Izzy Casale and sophomore forwards Caeli Maher and Julia Rossi.
Outlook: “Our strength is our experience in our defense,” said Wilman. “We are very strong up the middle with size, speed and experience. We have more travel players than last year, and we feel we can definitely do better than last year’s record. We were competitive in all but three or four games last year. Our biggest challenge will be meshing the young travel players into the fold in the right positions, and getting our experienced players to lead and have productive seasons.”

Agnes Irwin
Head coach: Mike Welsh, fourth year.
Last year’s record: 3-12-1 overall, 1-10-1 Inter-Ac.
Key returnees: senior forward Natalie Pansini, senior goalie Amelia Layden, senior defender Julianne Carey, senior defender Eve Frankel, junior defender Cami Micheletti, junior midfielder Liza Richardson, junior midfielder Annabel Laveran, sophomore midfielder Belle Fusco.
Others to watch: junior forward Alyssa Hardin. junior defender Katie Fitzpatrick.
Outlook: “I am optimistic that we have more goals in our team this year,” said Welsh. “We have some very exciting younger players coming through and I thoroughly expect a much stronger record this year.”

Archbishop Carroll
Head coach: Tom Quintois, second year.
Last year’s record: 6-9-1 overall, 5-5-1 Catholic League.
Key returnees: Key Patriots (including freshmen) to watch include junior defender and co-captain Kayla DeMola, senior midfieelder and co-captain Bella Grube, senior forward and co-captain Kellie Ann Matey, junior goalie Nicollette Cashin, sophomore midfielder Regan Duzy, junior midfielder Olivia Hoffman, junior goalie Jasmine Vega, junior defender Christina Jackson, sophomore forward Kiley Mottice, freshman midfielder Ella Wright, sophomore midfielder
Emma Tolaga, junior midfielder Keri Barnett, junior defender Maria Organ, freshman defender Mary Matey, sophomore forward Jessica Hoppel, sophomore midfielder Gianna Liciardello.
Outlook: Quintois, who has also served as a coach at Souderton High School and Ursinus College, said, “We’re look forward to the challenge of playing in the Catholic League and a very difficult non-league schedule. Our girls are eager to build on last year’s successes.”

Baldwin School
Head coach: Adrian Cox, fifth year.
Last year’s record: 16-5-1 overall, 8-4 Inter-Ac (second place); finished runner-up in the PAISAA Tournament (lost in a shootout to Episcopal Academy 4-3).
Key returnees: senior midfielder and co-captain Alex Loomis, senior defender Katherine Yang, junior goalkeeper Rani Bleznak, junior defender Taylor Levinson, sophomore midfielder Clara Page, sophomore midfielder Josie Stockett, sophomore defender Callie Stoltz, sophomore forward Brianna Wright.
Others to watch: senior midfielder and co-captain Sammy Baron, senior forward Vivienne Evans, senior midfielder Siggi Turcios-Wiswe, senior defender Leah White, junior midfielder Ellie Capuano, freshman defender Maddie Davis, freshman defender Ana Naylor.
Outlook: Baldwin graduated 10 seniors, six of whom were starters, from the talented 2018 team that was ranked in the Top 15 in the state and Mid-Atlantic Region by TopDrawerSoccer. Cox said, “The challenges for our team will be to find multiple goal scorers to lead the attack and a new cohesive defensive backline. We lost 80 percent of our goal scoring; and our defense last year recorded a school record 13 shutouts and allowed only 23 goals in 22 games. There has been a lot of competition in preseason for starting positions. The seniors and juniors have good experience and strong leadership qualities. The freshman and sophomores are dynamic, determined and committed to having a breakout season. Everyone is motivated and ready for the season to begin – our team culture and spirit is at an all-time high. Claws Up!”

Conestoga
Head coach: Benjamin Wilson, fourth year.
Last year’s record: 19-2-2 overall, 10-0-1 Central League (champions) and District 1 AAAA champions.
Key returnees: senior forward Caitlin Donovan, senior winger Calista Courtney, junior center-back Reese Henderson.
Others to watch: senior forward McKenzie Coleman, junior center midfielder Sophia Koziol, junior center midfielder Lily Weiss, junior center midfielder Annabel Schwartz, junior winger Kristi Dirico.
Outlook: While the Pioneers return the majority of its lineup from last year’s District 1 championship team, and should be strong in all areas of the field this season, the greatest strength of this team is probably found in the abundance of players able to contribute in the attack, led by Caitlin Donovan, who led the team in goals her first three seasons en route to Central League MVP and All-American honors last season. She will be joined by a host of talented players in forward, wing, and center-mid positions, particularly Calista Courtney and McKenzie Coleman. According to Wilson, the team also has a trio of reliable goalkeepers in Sarah Nselel, Caroline Klaiber and Maeve Regan, andf are fronted by a strong backline anchored by junior center-back Reese Henderson. “We will be looking to build upon last year’s successes with our aim set straight on a PIAA State Championship run,” said Wilson. “The keys to making that goal happen will be keeping the roster healthy, and making sure that every game throughout the season is approached like it is a championship game.”

Episcopal Academy
Head coach: Andy Fraggos, fourth year.
Last year’s record: 13-6-3 overall, 6-4-2 Inter-Ac, captured PAISAA tournament title.
Key returnees: senior forward Raina Kuzemka (William & Mary soccer commit), senior defender Laila Payton (Old Dominion soccer commit), senior midfielder Lauren Cunningham (Lafayette soccer commit), senior defender Devon Whitaker (Virginia lacrosse commit), senior midfielder Ali McHugh (Notre Dame lacrosse commit).
Others to watch: junior goalie Ali Bush, junior midfielder Madison Vetterlein, junior defender Ally Wilchusky, sophomore midfielder Kendal Elison, sophomore forward Bella Piselli, freshman goalie/forward Maya Naimoli.
Outlook: EA’s biggest strengths, according to Fraggos, is an experienced back line, balance around the field, and senior leadership – the Churchwomen return five seniors who have been getting varsity minutes since their freshman year. EA starts the season with games against powerful Pennington School (N.J.) and McDonogh School (Md.), which was ranked No. 1 on TopDrawerSoccer.com. Fraggos said, “We will be leaning on Raina Kuzemka and Lauren Cunningham to fill the scoring void left by 2018 All-American selections Olivia Dirks (Penn State, lacrosse) and Anna Salvucci (UConn), who accounted for nearly half of our team’s goals last year. We will rely heavily on the seniors’ experience and leadership, as this class has had a taste of winning an Inter-Ac league title and PAISAA Championship in two out of the previous three seasons. As always, we’re expecting the Inter-Ac season to be a battle every game.”

Friends’ Central
Head coach: Luke Nowell, fifth year.
Last year’s record: 5-9-1 overall, 5-3 Friends’ Schools League.
Key returnees: senior center back Caroline Blackman, senior center forward Izzy MacFarlane, senior center back Brynne Menen, senior defender/midfielder Sydney Bendesky.
Others to watch: junior defender/midfielder Lily Selkow, junior center mid/center back Ryan Lynch, sophomore midfielder Jordyn Paszamant, sophomore midfielder Juliana Aiken, sophomore midfielder/defender Julia Burd, sophomore midfielder/defender Maggie McDevitt.
Outlook: Nowell said, “Our team’s biggest strength is our continuity and cohesion. Returning 10 starters, we will look to build on the great soccer that we played down the stretch of last season.”

Harriton
Head coach: Jeff Rhodes, 10th year.
Last year’s record: 11-6-1 overall, 5-5-1 Central League.
Key returnees: sophomore forward Josie Becker, junior goalie Lexy Calhoun, senior midfielder Grace Honeyman, senior defender Taylor Shinal, sophomore midfielder Camilla Trotti, junior midfielder Ashley Wald.
Others to watch: sophomore defender Annie Aspesi, sophomore defender Mady Calhoun, sophomore midfielder Kira McDonnell.
Oulook: Rhodes said, “We have a nice mix of new and returning players. The new players bring with them a lot of energy and an eagerness to learn. Our returners lead by example and work hard to instill our team culture. We are looking to be competitive within the Central League. Staying healthy will be critical in order to have a solid season.”

Haverford High

Head coach: Jeff Jackson, second year.
Last year’s record: 12-9-1 overall, 8-3 Central League (third place)
Key returnees: senior midfielder Alyssa Hayes, senior forward Maya LeBlanc, senior defender Devin Snell, senior goalie Gianna Turco
Others to watch: junior midfielder Coleen Bates, junior forward Elody Burko, junior midfielder Jessica Miller, junior defender Brooke Snopkowski, junior midfielder Abby Wiedeman, junior forward Rachel Yocom.
Outlook: Jackson said, “We have good senior leadership and versatile players. We graduated four all-league seniors, including a league-MVP candidate, so we look to a new senior class and talented underclassmen to fill those shoes.  If we can continue the work from these first three weeks and continue to grow as a team, we can be achieve a successful season.”

Lower Merion
Head coach: Kevin Ries, 18th year.
Last year’s record: 10-6-1 overall, 5-6 Central League.
Key returnees: Senior defender Teresa Cato, senior forward Aviva Kosto, junior midfielder Maya Masotti, sophomore defender Roberta Moger, junior midfielder Laura Getselman, junior defender Ellie Ward.
Others to watch: junior defender Lilly Garton, freshman forward Grace Downey, freshman midfielder Ely Slensky.
Outlook: Ries said, “We are fortunate to have two strong goalies in Bridget McCann and Audrey Brown. We are returning all four starting defenders. Another strength is team speed on both ends of the field as well as numerous technical players in the midfield. Our biggest strength is that we are returning most of our roster from last year’s successful season, and we’ll be adding in quite a bit of talent from a rising ninth grade class as well. Our biggest challenges are to stay healthy, and play better soccer at the end of the season than in the beginning. We hope to earn a spot in the District One playoffs.”

Merion Mercy
Head coach: Brett McGovern, second year.
Last year’s record: 7-9-2 overall, 4-7-1 AACA.
Key returnees: senior midfielders Liz Norton and Caitlin Spillane, senior defender Kate Stricker, junior goalie Caroline Sack.
Others to watch: senior defender Kate Moran, junior midfielder Natalie Coughlin, senior defender Sarah McGovern.
Outlook: McGovern said, “We will build on strengths of playing solid team defense to be able to counter in transition. We have an excellent crop of seniors whose leadership we will lean on both on and off the field. We will have to learn to play through injuries and rely on some younger players to fill key roles to compete in the consistently competitive Catholic Academies League.”

Radnor
Head coach: Jake Solderitsch, fourth year.
Last year’s record: 7-10-1 overall, 4-7 Central League.
Key returnees: senior goalie Katie Bell, senior midfielder Keara Seasholtz, senior midfielder Lu MacKenzie, senior midfielder Sophia Muetterties, junior defender Ellie Rinehart.
Others to watch: sophomore midfielder Kate Boujoukos, sophomore midfielder Jane Daiutolo, sophomore defender Emily Daiutolo, sophomore defender Olivia Kelley.
Outlook: Solderitsch said, “Our biggest strengths are solid goalkeeping and team-wide defensive awareness, combined with a possession-oriented attack. The key to our success will be to finish our chances in front of the goal. Our biggest challenge will be to consistently get numbers forward into the attack while maintaining a strong back line.”

Shipley
Head coach: Dakota Carroll, fifth year.
Last year’s record: 10-6-2 overall, 6-3 Friends’ Schools League, FSL tournament finalist.
Key returnees: senior forward/midfielder Alivia Hamilton, senior defender Sarah Cotteta, senior defender Lexi Wojtelwicz, junior midfielder Katie Bergen, junior goalie Abby Aughe, junior midfielder Kahlia Bailey, junior forward/midfielder Mackenzie Medina, junior midfielder/defender Georgia Paynter, sophomore midfielder Jaiden Griffin.
Others to watch: sophomore defender Emma Baker, freshman defender Mackenzie Paine, freshman midfielder Maddie Gallia, eighth-grader midfielder/forward Avery Rehl, eighth-grader midfielder/forward Shaira Mujahid.
Outlook: Carroll said, “I think this year we will be able to completely play the style of soccer that we have envisioned. We have a bunch of club level players, who are smart players. Typically in the past, we had to change our formation or style of play to match our ability level across the field. This year, I feel like we will be able to play a cleaner brand of soccer. Our team’s biggest key to success is keeping everyone healthy – it’s a challenge every year. If we stay healthy I see great things for this group in the future. Our leadership is also very good this year, if the group keeps buying into our system of play we should have some success.”

Villa Maria
Head coach: Gary Christopher, 14th year.
Last year’s record: 13-10-1 overall, 7-4-1 AACA.
Key returnees: senior defender Hannah Young, senior midfielder Maddie Byrne, senior striker Grace McLees.
Others to watch: senior defender Bella O’Rourke, senior defender Julie Satterthwaite, senior midfielder Murphy Sweeney, senior defender Izzie O’Donnell, junior striker Bella Carlucci, sophomore midfielder Peyton Coron.
Outlook: Christopher said, “Our senior class is talented with excellent leaders. Our team depth is another strength, and will be tested greatly as we play in one of the strongest leagues in the area.”