Kady Donnelly is doing exactly what she did a season ago.
Donnelly is the starting outside back on the St. Hubert High School soccer team, the same role she held a season ago.
And like all fall sport athletes, Donnelly is prepping for a great season, and is doing whatever she can to make sure the Bambies are set for Catholic League play.
But this is a completely different season for Donnelly.
“This year I feel way more comfortable, even though it was pretty easy to adjust to playing high school soccer here because the girls were so nice and welcoming,” said Donnelly, a sophomore who last year started as a freshman. “Last year, I was a little nervous but I was excited to get started. I knew a couple of girls and I met people who I’ve become really good friends with now, but I’m the only one from my grade school. I knew some girls from playing soccer, but didn’t know most of them.”
The good news is the welcoming team wasted no time in helping her get up to speed. And now she’s doing the same for her teammates.
Though she was still finding her way and meeting her teammates, Donnelly helped the Bambies enjoy a good season last year.
Hubert finished 4-4-1 in the tough Catholic League. It finished in sixth place, qualified for the playoffs and knocked off third-seeded Archbishop Carroll 4-2 in the quarterfinals. The Bambies were bounced from the tournament by eventual champion Archbishop Wood in the PCL semifinals.
“We had a good year, and we had some young players, so we got good experience,” said Donnelly, who lives in Somerton. “It was a good first year. I learned a lot, made a lot of friends and became better.”
Now she no longer has to learn what it’s like to play Catholic League girls soccer, so she can start to focus on other things that will put the Bambies in position to enjoy a great season.
She’s just doing what she always does.
“I play outside back, it’s the position I’ve always played, I find it fun and it was fun playing last year once I got comfortable,” Donnelly said. “I feel way more comfortable there, and it was easy to adjust to high school because the girls were so nice. Other than that it was just playing the position.
“I love it because I can see everything in front of me. If we win the ball, I can move forward and I don’t have to stay back. Coach (Nettie Graziosi-Hibbs) wants us to push forward. That lets us move up when we win the ball. And I’m able to use my voice because I can see the whole field. I’m trying to be a good teammate, and leader, but using my voice. The more I can help people, the better we’ll all be.”
The better Donnelly plays, the better the Bambies will play, and she knows that. And she has full confidence in the rest of her team so that motivates her to do her best.
“We look good so far,” Donnelly said. “I think we can be really good and our team chemistry is really good. Everyone gets along really well. We all play well together and we like being together. I think that makes us a stronger team.”
Donnelly also does her part off the field to grow as a person and a leader. And she makes a quick first impression.
Despite being the only girl from her grade school to attend Hubert, she was voted as home room representative for her freshman year.
She repeated and has the same role this year, and she’s hoping to make a difference in her post.
“I’m a home room rep, I had to run,” Donnelly said. “You sign up and they do a vote. Soccer helped me a lot because I was able to meet so many people before school. For this year, we did it at the end of the year and I got re-elected.
“It’s good, you have to be a leader. We have meetings and talk about how we can fundraise. And we plan Dance-a-Rama, it’s a dance thing where we all take part to raise money. We play music and dance and you can buy a shirt. It’s fun, I’m always able to dance and stuff, we have fun, but it’s for the school.”
Donnelly put together quite the resume last year as a member of the soccer team and student council.
But she also plays another sport, lacrosse, where she plays midfield. And not only was she a starter last year, she was named All-Catholic.
It doesn’t get much better for a rookie season.
“It was so cool, my dad came running upstairs to tell me,” Donnelly said. “He was really excited. I play midfield so running keeps me in shape. I’ve been playing lacrosse since fourth grade, and I do a lot of the same things in both sports. I feel like I’m pretty good at both of them.”
And she hopes to make her teammates better going forward.
“I always want to do better and I always try to help people and use my voice,” Donnelly said. “I want to be the best version of myself and the best I can be.”
