Mount St. Mary's Iuliano is the CN All-Area Girls Soccer Coach of the Year

When the clock hit zero during the Somerset County Tournament quarterfinals, the Mount St. Mary Academy girls soccer team rushed the field to bombard the starters with celebratory hugs, as the Mount Lions just pulled off one of the biggest feats in the program’s history.

The sixth-seeded Mount Lions were celebrating their monumental 2-0 upset victory against third-seeded and perennial powerhouse Bridgewater-Raritan.

For the small private school, which enrolls about 370 students, defeating a school with about 4,000 students in a major tournament will be a victory remembered for many years to come.

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After the girls were done celebrating, the team snuck behind Mount St. Mary coach Phil Iuliano and soaked him with a well-deserved Gatorade bath.

Iuliano changed the culture of the program since his inaugural year in 2013 by making defense a priority but more importantly, his ability to motivate his players helped lead the program to its most memorable win in school history.

“The day before the game he sat us down and gave this great motivational speech,” senior captain Jen Cappucci said. “During that speech, he told us that he was supporting us and that he believed we could win. He told us were the Cinderella story and made us believe that we could win.”

For his incredible ability to motive his players, and a season in which the Mount Lions finished 17-3-1, Iuliano is being named the 2016 Courier News All-Area Girls Soccer Coach of the year.

“The biggest thing is to get them on board and getting them to believe that they can do it,” Iuliano said. “As the season started to progress and we went on a good winning streak, you could see the confidence level of the team rising.”

With all the players on board, the Mount Lions started the season 5-0-1 without conceding a goal to an opponent. Led by sophomore goalkeeper Michaela Walsh, who finished the season with 148 saves, Mount St. Mary finished the year with 13 shutouts.

For Iuliano, whose main focus when he first took over the program was to tighten up on the defensive side, the 2016 defensive effort was exactly how he envisioned his team playing.

Sophomores Caroline Cull and Hailey Longstreet made up the stingy defense and with Iuliano’s defensive priorities working to perfection, the counter-attack was a crucial staple in the Mount Lions’ success all season.

“It has been a steady progression since I took over the program,” Iuliano said. “The development system that we put in place is basically high press and counterattack when applicable. We mostly wanted to possess the ball as much as we can to really limit the opportunities of the opposition.”

Sophomores Alaina Parisella and Katherine Butler benefited off of the counter-attack system as the two combined for 24 goals this season.

Butler seemed to be the go-to player in crunch time as she had a knack for putting the ball in the back of the net with time winding down in regulation. Butler scored the game winning goal in three key games including the winning goal in overtime to advance to the semifinals county game with a 2-1 victory over Bernards.

“She had a tremendous season,” Iuliano said. “Her work ethic was through the roof. I’m really happy out of the style play I got out of Katherine.”

With the entire team playing at a high level, the Mount Lions advanced to the semifinals in both the county and the NJSIAA South Non-Public A Tournaments.

While the team’s success can be attributed to Iuliano’s attention to detail, the passion he has for the game trickles down to each one of the players on the team.

The Kean University graduate had been playing soccer since he was in third grade and went on to play semi-pro. Despite his drive to compete at a high level, Iuliano knows that in order to succeed as a coach he must allow the girls to have fun.

“Whenever people aren’t having the greatest days, he picks up on it and we have a fun practice,” Cappuci said. “He participates in all of it.”

From bonding exercises to taking the team to a women’s professional Sky Blue game, to even hosting an “Annual Hide from Coach Day,” where the girls spent a practice day hiding from the coach all throughout the campus while he searches for them, Iuliano keeps the fun in soccer throughout the entire year.

“During these team moments, we all bond and create team chemistry,” Cappuci said. “He really encourages team camaraderie amongst us.”

With the girls coming together on-and-off the field, the Mount St. Mary program looks to be in good in hands for several years to come.

“The bulk and the base of the team is all returning for next year,” Iuliano said. “The key thing is number one you got to be able to back up what you produced this year, otherwise it means nothing. The outlook for next year looks very promising provided we stay healthy.”

While the future looks bright for next year’s team, for the one graduating senior it is sad she won't be able to put on the school’s uniform next year but is ultimately thankful for what she learned during her time playing under Iuliano.

“Personally, I have become a better communicator and leader under the direction of coach Iuliano,” Cappuci said. “As a member of the team I feel as though I learned to train and develop my individual skill set better. He’s a very good coach. He really makes everyone want to put in work and succeed.”