Despite having an unusual start to the season with the absence of Mr. Naydan, who is currently teaching virtually from home, Mount soccer is nevertheless prepared for the upcoming season.

“We have our JV coach and a few new coaches…our goal is to be better than last year” said Kate Donovan ‘23. Donovan is a defenseman on the team and leader to the freshmen, who are, “slowly getting used to each other.” In addition to the new coaches, soccer is conditioning significantly more than years in the past, frequently running sprints and ladder drills.

“I was definitely very scared, “ said Kate Kelly ‘22. At the beginning of June, someone affiliated with Mount soccer contracted COVID-19 and the program was forced to shut down for two weeks.

“I wanted to be able to go to school and not have to worry about it [testing positive],” said Kelly. Kelly is a three time varsity starter excited to return to the Mount field. “It put things into perspective,” she said.

Because of this event, soccer has cracked down on accommodating the virus. Players had to be tested and the coaches encouraged girls to stay home if they felt unwell.

“We’re distancing our bags during water breaks…we don’t do huddles anymore,” Kelly said.

“We have to wear either a black or white shirt…we can’t share pinnies,” Donovan said.

Since soccer practices entail a large amount of scrimmaging, the players often wear and share different colored pinnies to match their respective teams.

“It’s different, because we can’t just choose what to wear. I have to actually think about it,” Donovan said.

The college recruiting process is especially different this year.

Looking to pursue her academic and athletic career in college, Kate Kelly said, “There are less ID clinics, which is usually where you go to to get seen [by college coaches].”

At an ID clinic, a player can sign up for one or more colleges and have a mock practice with other girls looking to be recruited. “It’s really just to show off your skills to colleges,” said Kelly. Now, players like Kelly are relying on highlight reels to showcase their abilities. Luckily, as more places begin to reopen, more clinics are reopening as well. Good luck Kate!