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Mount’s Lone Senior Starter
Helps Direct Traffic On Field

By Steve Tober
for sidelinehatter.com

CALDWELL- Angelo Del Vecchio has plenty of experience coaching three sports at Mount St. Dominic, including his long-standing roles as an assistant basketball and softball coach for the Lions.

In the current fall season, as the head coach for the No. 1 seed in the Essex County Tournament, he finds it to be a seamless analogy to describe the soccer side’s lone senior starter and holding center midfielder as his proverbial floor general on the soccer pitch.

“Mary Hladik is my point guard,” said the veteran Mount soccer head mentor. “She brings all the intangibles that a team needs while directing traffic for us out there, including letting teammates know where they should be, and always helping our young defense.

“Whatever we need done - like someone having to be marked - I yell for her because she is the glue and leader of our team.

“Sure, she could be more of a scorer for us, but her strong defense, ability to pass to the right people and control the center of field makes her an all-around and ultra-valuable contributor for us in each and every game.”

Hladik, a 4-year starter for the Mount (12-0), is the latest Parisi Fairfield/Sideline Chatter Athlete of the Week.

Since her freshman year when the Lions finished 9-11-1, the veteran center midfielder has enjoyed watching the ascension of her team, including an improved 11-9 record in 2022 and then last fall’s breakthrough season when the Lions finished 20-3 while reaching the ECT semifinals for just the third time in program history and capping the 2023 campaign by winning the program’s first-ever NJSIAA Non-Public, North A state sectional title with a 2-1 win over 17-time champion Immaculate Heart before being edged 2-0 by Princeton Day School in the overall Non-Public A state final.

“It’s been great to see our soccer program continue to get stronger during my four years here,” said Hladik. “Last year was a memorable season for sure, but we are hungry for more success this fall, including winning county tournament and state titles - and we have another very special group of girls!

“I try and do my best to try and help lead our young team, which has so much talent and still room to grow; and we also make sure to have fun out there which makes this such an enjoyable team to be a part of.”

Hladik, who had 2 goals and 10 assists last season, entered this week with a goal and 7 assists for the undefeated Lions. She scored a goal in a recent (Oct. 8) 7-0 win vs. neighboring rival Caldwell and had an assist in a 6-0 triumph over East Side on Oct. 1st.

In one of the Mount’s biggest victories to date, a 2-0 triumph vs. West Orange back on Sept. 19, she contributed an assist.

She helped solidify the midfield play in a hard-fought 2-0 win over a very good Livingston team back on Sept. 28.

The Lancers are defending ECT champions and the No. 2 seed in the ECT while always-dangerous Montclair is third, and West Orange No. 4 in the field of teams competing in the 41st girls’ countywide soccer tourney.

The Lions opened ECT action on Thursday with a 4-1 first round victory over 16th-seeded Nutley.

“There are some very good teams in our county and we know that we’ll have to play very well to win a county championship, but we’re also very confident in our abilities to get the job done when we have to,” added Hladik.

"I’m so excited about the big games to come, and we’re ready to compete for a championship.”

The Mount’s two top scorers are juniors Gianna Camporeale (17 goals, 11 assists) and Lena Tusche (10 and 4) although the latter will apparently not be available to the Lions during the ECT as she continues to play for the Colombian national team in a worldwide tournament being held in the Dominican Republic.

Still, the Lions have plenty of strength throughout their lineup, including in the back where Hladik helps support a young group of defenders including sophomores Emma Labrunda and Aanya Davitt and freshmen Ella O’Donnell and Alexa Cunha who play in front of impressive freshman goalkeeper Isabella Raju.

“I know our defenders and try to be fully aware of where everyone is at all times,” said Hladik. “We have very good, young backs and a terrific goalkeeper and I just try to do whatever I can to help promote our strengths out there.”

The Mount’s lone senior starter serves as co-captain with fellow senior Maddie Natale, who along with another key player, junior Valentina Somoza, were expected to be key returning backs this fall before each was sidelined with torn ACL’s.

“We certainly miss not having them as players out there because they’d bring experience plus talent,” said Hladik. But, they’ve been out there every day providing great support and remain very important teammates!”

There is a prep A tournament that is also on the agenda for the Lions, who will in essence have three titles to shoot for in addition to winning the Super Essex Conference-Liberty Division crown for a second straight season.

The Mount will undoubtedly be elevated up to the SEC’s top division, the American, in 2025, and will be ready to continue to compete at the highest level once again, even though its veteran center midfielder will be moving on.
Still, her coach is very happy to have his proverbial point guard out there on the soccer pitch for a few more weeks in the multi-tourney title hunt.

“Mary provides everything that any coach would want in a team leader,” said Del Vecchio. “I trust her more than anyone else on the field.”

NOTES- Mary Hladik comes from a busy sports family. Her older brother Andrew, a former standout at Seton Hall Prep, is a pitcher at Ursinus College. An older sister Kaitlyn, who played field hockey at the Mount, is a senior at Providence College. Another older sister, Emma, played tennis at the Mount and attended Gettysburg College, while a younger sister, Lauren, is a freshman tennis player for the Lions. And, if that’s not enough, their mom Megan played field hockey at Susquehanna University, and dad Stan, who is a longtime West Caldwell councilman, is a former basketball player at Clifton High School…Mary, who plays travel soccer with PDA, plans to perhaps play club soccer in college, but not with the regular college team. She is leaning toward focusing on business and economics in college and is considering a number of strong academic schools including Elon, Wake Forest and High Point in North Carolina in addition to Villanova and Lafayette in Pennsylvania.

Follow Steve Tober on 'X' @Chattermeister

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Parisi Speed School has been empowering athletes for over 30 years, since 1992. As the industry leader in youth performance training in the country, they have successfully trained over 1,000,000 athletes to include schools, teams, youth organizations and individual athletes from 7 years of age to the Pros in MLB, NFL, MLS, NBA and WNBA.

Parents and coaches are invited to visit their website for additional information at www.parisifairfield.com or contact their Director, John Cirilo at 973 227-0199.

Mary Hladik provides plenty of intangibles along with all-around terrific play as holding center midfielder for No. 1 seeded Mount St. Dominic as Lions pursue their first-ever Essex County Tournament championship.

Mount’s Lone Senior Starter Helps Direct Traffic On Field

Mount’s Lone Senior Starter
Helps Direct Traffic On Field