Congratulations to junior, Molly Miller, on her recent selection to the SMAA All-Conference First Team for soccer!  This acknowledgment is voted upon by coaches within the athletic conference, and Miller is currently ranked one of the top three goalies in the state.

Keep up the phenomenal work, Molly!  The McAuley community is very proud of this accomplishment!

Catherine McAuley High School is excited to announce that pre-season for all fall athletics will begin on Monday, August 15!

McAuley boasts several stellar athletic wins this past academic year, and with many returning and new lady lion athletes, we are anticipating some repeat performances!

Below is the practice schedule for the week beginning Monday, August 15:

Field Hockey (Coach Murphy): Monday through Friday, 8:00-12:00.

 Soccer (Coach Aceto): Monday through Friday, 8:00-10:30, AND 3:15-5:30pm.

Cross Country (Coach Donovan): Monday, 3:00-4:30. Check with the coach for Tuesday through Friday schedule.

Golf (Coach Kilmartin): Monday, 10:00-11:15. Meet at McAuley at 10:00, or meet at T&T at 10:30. Check with coach for Tuesday through Friday schedule.

If you have any questions about the above practice times or you need to contact the coach, please email Joe Kilmartin, Athletic Director, at joe.kilmartin@mcauleyhs.org.

Let’s go Lady Lions!!!

Congratulations to senior Maura Esten, who was recently honored with the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Senior Excellence Award.

Esten was recognized for her significant team contributions, her leadership skills, and her positive attitude as a team player.  All of these attributes exemplify the standards set forth in the NSCAA Player Code of Conduct and Ethics.

Congratulations to senior Maura Esten, who was recently recognized by the Forecaster newspaper as the “McAuley Lions’ Fall Athlete of the Year” for her impressive contributions to the Varsity Soccer Team.

For Michael Hoffer’s full story on Esten, please access the following link:

http://www.theforecaster.net/content/p-sportsmcauleyaofy

Congratulations to McAuley’s Varsity Soccer Team for recently being featured as one of the Forecaster newspaper’s “Top Five Fall Sports Stories” for their postseason success.

Sports Writer, Michael Hoffer, crafted the following about the McAuley Lions:

Prior to this fall, the McAuley girls’ soccer team hadn’t enjoyed a winning season since 2002 or a playoff berth since 2003.  The Lions won their first three games, started 4-1-2 and even after cooling down after being decimated by injuries, managed to earn the final postseason spot at 6-5-3.  McAuley was ousted by Windham in the Western A preliminary round, but produced three league all-stars and set the stage for future success.

The McAuley community looks forward to seeing these future successes unfold!  Kudos to all who contributed to this impressive season!

Congratulations to the following McAuley students on their stellar performances during the 2010 soccer season.  Award recipients include (l-r):

Allison Bonner ’11 – All-Academic SMAA

Hannah Cooke ’13 – Golden Boot Award – Team Leader in Goals and Offensive Player of the Year

Paige Hickey ’11 – All-Academic SMAA and Coach’s Award

Maura Esten ’11 – SMAA 1^st Team and Defensive Player of the Year

Head Coach Vince Aceto

Sam Sivovlos ’13 – SMAA All-Star Honorable Mention

Molly Miller ’13 – SMAA All-Star Honorable Mention

Olivia Crozier ’12 – Silver Boot Award – Team Leader in Assists

Congratulations to McAuley athletes Molly Miller ’13 and Mary Scully ’10, who recently received recognition for their involvement in soccer.  Miller was selected for the second team in the all SMAA conference, while Scully was named the 2009 Soccer Student Athlete of the Year.  Scully was chosen unanimously based on her leadership, soccer abilities, sportsmanship, community service, and academics.

In related news, McAuley High received the 2008-2009 Team Academic Award from the National Soccer Coaches Association of America.  The honor goes to a team with a GPA of 3.25 or above.  McAuley’s GPA was an impressive 3.6!

Stellar work to all involved!

Sportsinme.com, a Maine website that highlights sports stories, scores, standings, and statistics, recently recognized four outstanding McAuley athletes for their achievements in soccer.

Kudos are extended to…

Shelby Bryant, a sophomore, who finished the season ranked 18th in Western Maine with six (6) goals.

Maura Esten, a junior, who ranked second in Western Maine with five (5) assists.

Cristina Leake, a sophomore, who ranked 13th in Western Maine with three (3) assists.

Molly Miller, a freshman, who ranked first in saves with 138, and 12th in Western Maine with two (2) shutouts.

Congratulations on these impressive accomplishments, ladies!

Congratulations to McAuley senior Mary Scully, who was featured in the September 14, 2009 edition of the Portland Press Herald for being a “Hometown Hero.”

“Hometown Heroes” is “a series about high school athletes who are more than just names in the box scores or roundups.”  They are students who “subscribe to the volunteer spirit, involve themselves in community projects, and serve as mentors to other students.”  The McAuley community is proud that one of its own was selected for such an honor.

Scully was chosen for going above and beyond McAuley’s 15 hours of required community service work, for giving back to her community, and for sharing her love of soccer with the extended community.

The more, the merrier for this McAuley senior

By Rachel Lenzi, Staff Writer for the Portland Press Herald

Mary Scully prepared to work with only 10 children during the summer, but each day she volunteered to coach soccer in Portland’s Kennedy Park neighborhood, a new face would show up, drawn to the prospects of playing soccer and making friends.

Each time another one appeared, Scully didn’t blink. Instead, she found a way to incorporate each new child into the day.

“You’d turn around and a new face would show up,” said Scully, a senior on the McAuley High soccer team. “There would be anywhere from 10 to 30 kids a day we’d work with, but we found a way to include everyone.

“Those are kids who need someone in their lives and I wanted to be a positive force for them.”

For the past two summers, Scully has volunteered with the Portland Housing Authority by working with a youth soccer program in Kennedy Park. During the school year, she volunteers at the Sagamore Village Education Center, tutoring elementary school children in an after-school program.

“She’s so outgoing and so enthusiastic about working with anybody who wants to work with her,” said Emily Fitch, the education center coordinator. “She really goes after the kids and with her it’s like, ‘let’s do this, let’s go play soccer.’

“Her attitude carries her so far with the kids. She’s not much older than them, even in some cases she’s their age, and it’s easy for her to connect with the kids.”

Scully’s appreciation of and devotion to volunteering grew through the opportunity she received to work with the Portland Housing Authority’s Soccer Start program. She found a way to fully utilize her interpersonal skills and a way to give back to the community through soccer.

Soccer Start recently completed its third year, and it gives children the opportunity for their first involvement in organized soccer. For some children, it’s their first involvement in an organized sport.

Kennedy Park, a public housing complex in Portland, is one of four family neighborhoods that hosted the Soccer Start program this summer. Mark Adelson, deputy director of the Portland Housing Authority, explained that many of the Soccer Start volunteers learn about the program by word of mouth.

Scully learned about the program while volunteering with Cultivating Community, a Portland-based nonprofit geared towards achieving sustainability through local farming and urban gardening, and migrated toward working with the Portland Housing Authority after participating in a pickup soccer game between a team from Kennedy Park and volunteers with Cultivating Community.

“Knowing her from the team, people gravitate to her,” McAuley Coach Vincent Aceto said. “She’s used soccer as an avenue and she’s tied soccer into the social aspect and into volunteering. Why not promote the game?”

Scully is president of McAuley’s social action club, which explores and educates students on women’s issues. She is involved with several other student organizations, including student council, the varsity club and speech and debate.

She is also working with Jo Ellen Rand, McAuley’s field hockey and lacrosse coach, on writing a grant that would help students create a video about the hazards of text messaging while driving – inspired by a public service announcement from Wales, a graphic video that shows the potential hazards of text messaging while driving.

This fall, Scully will coach a U-8 girls’ soccer team in the Portland Area Youth Soccer Association.

In June, Aceto named Scully one of the Lions’ three captains and gave her the responsibility of coordinating summer workouts, in addition to her volunteer work.

“She found out how much more she could do,” Aceto said.

McAuley requires students to participate in 15 hours of community service each school year.

Scully acknowledges some choose to go above and beyond that mandate and she believes that in volunteering, she is learning the value of contributing to her community.

“Volunteering teaches you that you have to give back to the community, and to me, it’s about giving back something that has given so much to me in my life,” Scully said. “I grew up playing PAYSA soccer and I want to be able to make that continue for someone else.

“Personally, I’ve been very fortunate with family and with school, and it’s my duty to give back to people. It’s my duty.”