Women's Soccer Signs Six Recruits for the 2015 Season

PHILADELPHIA - Six recruits out of Pennsylvania and New Jersey will join Temple women's soccer team for the 2015 season, as announced by second-year head coach Seamus O'Connor. Kelcie Dolan (Egg Harbor City, N.J./Absegami), Juliet Esposito (Haddon Township, N.J./Camden Catholic), Katie McCoy (Oxford, Pa./Neshaminy), Jordan Nash (Brick, N.J./St. Rose), Olivia Novak (Manheim, Pa./Manheim Central) and Sarah McGlinn (Cherry Hill, N.J./Cherry Hill West) have all committed to Temple and will join the Owls next season.

Kelcie Dolan was a captain for her senior year at Absegami High School and ended up being selected First Team All-Conference in the Cape Atlantic League. During her junior year she was an all-conference honorable mention. She captained her club team Jersey Premier Soccer to finish as New Jersey State Cup Finalists in 2014. Academically she was on the merit and honor roll all four years of high school. Dolan will major in education.

"Temple University offers the highest level of education and outstanding athletics," said Dolan. "It provides an amazing city atmosphere so close to home. The diverse campus life is the perfect training ground for my future in education."

"Kelcie fills a need we have for an outside defender after the graduation of Alyssa Kirk," said O'Connor. "Alyssa was a big part of our success last year, and I feel that Kelcie has the potential to become that kind of player for us. She is very good in the air, brave and aggressive in the tackle. One of the attributes that impressed me about Kelcie is that she genuinely loves to defend and takes great pride in winning her one-on-one battles. I was also impressed at her ability to join in the attack and provide a wide option for her team. She has a high level of fitness which gives her to ability to get from box to box and contribute both in the defensive and attacking parts of the game."

Juliet Esposito was a four year starter on the varsity team at Camden Catholic. She was selected second team all-conference her freshman, sophomore and junior years. Her senior season she was selected first team all-conference. She was also an all-state honorable mention her junior and senior years. Some of the highlights of her club soccer career including winning the New Jersey US Club Soccer Cup and finishing as Region 1 Colonial League runners up. Academically she was a member of the National Honors Society, Science Honors Society, Latin Honors Society, Social Studies Honors Society and Band Honors Society. Esposito will major in Nursing.

"I've been coming to Temple's campus ever since I was a kid," said Esposito. "My pop-pop works at the School of Dentistry and my uncles have done a lot of work for the school. My family is a huge Temple family and I've always loved the school and the tradition. During the recruiting process I of course put Temple on my list. I fell even more in love with the school after my recruiting trips and tours around campus. After meeting Seamus and hearing about his style of coaching and the way he runs the program, I wanted to sign up right away. With the close location to my family and friends they will be able to watch me play, and that is also extremely important to me. It was all exactly what I was looking for.

"Juliet will come and compete for us in one of our midfield positions," said O'Connor. "What I like about her is that she can play both in the center and as a wide midfielder. Juliet is a very good passer of the ball and is very aggressive in the tackle. She plays mainly as a defensive midfielder and takes a lot of pride in doing the less glorious work that is needed in that position to allow the creative players to do their jobs. Juliet makes us stronger in another key area that we are always looking to improve in on set plays. Her delivery from corners and free kicks is excellent, and she is good in the air on defensive set plays as well."

Rated a three star recruit by Top Drawer Soccer, Katie McCoy was a three year member of the varsity team at Neshaminy High School. During this time she helped the team to the 2010 Suburban One league championship, 2013 undefeated Suburban One league Championship, 2013 District championship and 2013 PIAA State Championship. They finished the 2013 season 25-0. At the club level she has helped her UGH Fevernova team be ranked as high as first in Pennsylvania, third in Region One and fourth in the nation. Academically she was on the honor roll all four years of high school.

"I choose Temple because I liked the campus and the location of the university," said McCoy. "I also liked how great the soccer program is doing. Temple also has such great academics. It is where I felt most comfortable, and I also wanted to be able to take advantage of what the city has to offer.

"Katie is a player I see continuing our tradition of great central defender here at Temple," said O'Connor. "I am amazed at her ability to win the ball back and make a pass to a teammate. It might sound very simple but in her position I have rarely seen a player complete more passes than she does. In the American Athletic Conference it is so vital to be able to keep possession of the ball, and with the addition of Katie I see us improving in this area. She also provides us a speed option at the back to counter some of the amazing talent we face in the conference. In addition she also has that toughness I love my players to have."

During her time playing for Cherry Hill West High School Sarah McGlinn was selected as an all-conference player on three occasions. Sarah is rated as a three star recruit by Top Drawer Soccer and was selected as captain of her team in both her junior and senior years. For her last three years in high school she led her team in goals, assists and points. At the club level, Sarah was a two year member of both the NJ ODP and Region 1 ODP teams. She helped her club team to win the 2012 US Club State Cup, 2013 Region 1 Colonial League Championship and in 2014 the NPL National Championship. Academically she was a four year member of her student council and of the DECA Business Competition Group. Her father Chuck played soccer at St Joseph's University and is a member of the school's soccer hall of fame. McGlinn will major in math.

"I choose Temple because of the coaching staff and the overall soccer program," said McGlinn. "When I stepped on Temple's campus I knew immediately I wanted to attend Temple. The university has everything I wanted in a college. It is a big school, in the city and close to home so my parents could come to my games."

"Sarah is a player that I can see becoming a huge part of the future of our program," said O'Connor. I like my attacking players to play as the first line of defense when we lose the ball. They need to work hard and be aggressive to cause a turnover higher up the field, and Sarah does this as well as any player I have seen. What I also like about Sarah is that her work rate is matched by her ability on the ball. She is a very skillful player who knows how to score goals. Sarah has a very high soccer IQ and this will allow her to compete for minutes immediately as a midfielder and also as a forward. Because of the high level of club soccer she has played with PDA, I believe that Sarah can make an immediate impact for us in the American Athletic Conference."

Jordan Nash was a four year started for her St Rose High School team and is rated as a three star recruit by Top Drawer Soccer. She helped her team to win the state sectional championships in 2012 and 2013 as well as being state non-public B finalists in 2012 and 2013. During her senior year she helped her team to be state sectional finalists as well as being selected to first team all-conference. At the club level, Jordan helped her team win in the ECNL Northeast Conference Championship in 2012, as well as a third place finish at the ECNL National Finals Championship that year. In 2013 and 2014 she led her team to an appearance at the ECNL National Finals Championships. Academically she was a member of the Honors Society and the Foreign Language Honors Society.

"After visiting many campuses, coaches and cities I chose Temple for a number of reasons," said Nash. "I love Philadelphia and all the opportunities it offers as I would like to get into pediatrics. As far as shopping and entertainment Philadelphia offers all the things a great city does. I've met many coaches, and Seamus O'Connor and Temple were by far the best match for me. I like that Temple is an up and coming women's soccer program that I am so looking forward to help build up. Since this will be my last years playing soccer I wanted to attend a school that I would have the opportunity to work hard at and play."

"Jordan gives us another great option in a position that we have being very lucky to have such depth in at goalkeeper," said O'Connor. "In my time at Temple I have become accustomed to a high level of performances from our goalkeepers, and I believe that Jordan will continue that tradition. She has competed at the highest level for her club team, PDA, and that experience in those high pressure ECNL games will help her become an outstanding goalkeeper in the American Athletic Conference. I like how confident and relaxed Jordan is when she plays and how she transfers that confidence to her defenders in the way she communicates with them."

During her senior year at Manheim Central High School, Olivia Novak was a team captain and helped her team to finish as finalists in the Lancaster-Lebanon League tournament. She was also able to help the team reach the Semi-Finals of the District 3-AA tournament. Based on her performances during her senior year she was selected as First Team Lancaster-Lebanon League. At the club level, Olivia has helped her Penn Legacy team to back-to-back Pennsylvania State titles. Academically, Olivia is class vice-president and a member of the National Spanish Honors Society, National English Honors Society and National History Honors Society. Olivia will major in criminal Justice.

"I chose Temple because I like the competitive attitude of the team and the high level of competition they face in the American Conference," said Novak. "I love Philadelphia and being in a city. Temple provides me with opportunities academically and athletically to excel and succeed."

"Olivia primarily plays as a defensive player and she has the characteristics I love in a defender - physical, tough in the tackle and willing to sacrifice to win the ball no matter what the physical price she has to pay," said O'Connor. "She is confident on the ball which gives us the option of using her as a central defender or as a defensive midfielder. Olivia is a fantastic organizer as well and she makes it seem like you have an extra coach on the field. Because of how she plays and how vocal she is, Olivia is always a leader on all the teams she plays on and this is something that I hope she can do for us as well."

Temple University Athletics

Women's Soccer Signs Six Recruits for the 2015 Season

Players Mentioned

Alyssa Kirk

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