Catholic University of America

Washington, DC 20064

Dist of Columbia Northeast

Private Small Developing team

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Coaches

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Casey Sommers

Casey Sommers completed her third full season as the head coach of the Catholic women's soccer program in 2023. Sommers was named the 10th head coach in program history on March 20, 2020.

The 2023 campaign was a massively successful one for coach Sommers and staff as the Cardinals quadrupled their win total from the previous season, notching 12 victories for the first time since 2015. The Cardinals posted a record of 12-5-3 and achieved a 6-1-2 mark in Landmark Conference play, earning a first-round bye in the Landmark Conference and the program's first home playoff game in eight seasons. An Isabel Doherty overtime tally pushed the Cardinals past Drew in the semifinal and booked Catholic's place in the conference tournament final for the first time in eight years.

The Cardinals boasted the best defense in the Landmark Conference in 2023, conceding just 17 goals in 20 matches and posting an impressive 12 clean sheets. Sommers' side also netted 36 goals, more than double the team's total in the prior season. Impressive senior Jordan Siok netted 15 goals, including five multi-goal games and five game winning goals, and provided three assists to headline six all-conference selections, Catholic's most since 2015. Defensive stalwart Sam Cesario and starting goalkeeper Ava Rieger joined Siok on the first team while the midfield duo of Payton Hardy and Doherty were named to the second team. Sophomore defender Teighan Boyle was honored as an honorable mention. Catholic also had five student-athletes named to the College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District Team, a new program record.

In 2022, Sommers' program scratched and clawed to a Landmark Conference Tournament appearance before giving top-seeded Scranton all it could handle in a 2OT thriller. Freshman keeper Ava Rieger set a tournament record with 15 saves, handling an onslaught of Scranton shots before finally relenting in the 95th minute. The Cardinals posted a record of 3-4-1 on Carlini Field with a crucial 2-1 victory over Elizabethtown to send Catholic to the Landmark Tournament mixed in. A pair of Cardinals were named to the All-Landmark Second Team in 2022, Jordan Siok and Brienna Spano. Sommers also had three athletes selected to the CSC Academic All-District Team.

Sommers came to Catholic after spending six seasons as the head coach at John Jay College of Criminal Justice where she was a two-time City University of New York Athletic Conference (CUNYAC) Coach of the Year. Over her last two seasons in New York City, she led the Bloodhounds to a record of 22-14-3, including a mark of 10-1-0 in the CUNYAC, back-to-back conference championship games and the program's first-ever appearance in the NCAA Division III Women's Soccer Championship.

John Jay also boasted 14 all-conference selections under Sommers, including the 2019 CUNYAC Player of the Year and the CUNYAC Rookie of the Year in 2017 and 2018.

Sommers led the Bloodhounds to a school record 12 wins in 2019, their first-ever CUNYAC championship and first-ever NCAA tournament appearance. She was named CUNYAC Coach of the Year after the team earned the top-seed in the conference tournament for the first time in program history with a perfect 5-0 record and had a league-best five players named All-CUNYAC.

In 2018, Sommers led John Jay to the CUNYAC championship game for the first time since 2011. The Bloodhounds finished the season with a 10-7-2 record after making their first-ever appearance in the ECAC Division III Women's Soccer Championship.

Sommers earned her first CUNYAC Coach of the Year award in 2017 as she led John Jay to the semifinals of the CUNYAC Women's Soccer Championship for the second time. The team also posted its first winning record in conference play with a mark of 4-1-1. The Bloodhounds had the CUNYAC Rookie of the Year as well as two first team all-conference selections.

While at John Jay, Sommers also served as the Youth Program Coordinator for the NY Cosmos Training & Development Program and was the U9 Head Coach and U16 Trainer for the Kosmos Football Club.

Sommers began her coaching career as an assistant at Division I Fordham, a fellow Catholic instituton and her alma mater, from 2005-13. With the Rams, she oversaw recruiting efforts and player development, assisted in the game and practice planning, organized social, marketing, networking and instructional events while creating the team's alumni program. During her nine seasons, Fordham made four appearances in the A-10 Women's Soccer Championship, advancing to the semifinals each time and playing in the championship game twice in 2006 and 2007.

Sommers played in 61 games for the Rams, primarily as a midfielder from 1999 to 2002. She made 56 starts and totaled 19 points with six goals and seven assists. She served as team captain as a junior and graduated with a bachelor's degree in political science and a minor in business in 2003.

Off the field, Sommers also served as the Business Development Manager for John Jay Athletics where she was handled all business development, human resources and other financial management responsibilities for the department.

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Kelli Doherty

Doherty begins her fourth season as an assistant coach at Catholic in 2023, after serving as the graduate assistant coach during her first two campaigns.

Doherty came to Catholic after serving as the head coach at the Downtown United Soccer Club in New York City. She handled practice and game day preparation as well as team management for young aspiring soccer players.

While in New York, Doherty also worked as the Director of Goalkeepers for the American Youth Soccer League for over three years, planning weekly sessions for players ranging from 8-14 years old, and as a staff coach for the youth programs of New York City FC.

Doherty was a four-year letterwinner as a goalkeeper for Casey Sommers at John Jay College of Criminal Justice from 2014-17. She played in 65 career games, totaling over 4,600 minutes, nine shutouts and a .677 saves percentage. She was a team captain as a junior and senior, helping lead John Jay to a new program record for wins in 2017. Off the field, she was a four-year CUNYAC Scholar-Athlete and recipient of the Sue Larkin Leadership Award in 2016.

Doherty also currently works for the Maryland State Youth Soccer Association as its inaugural "Let's Play! Coordinator." In the role, she oversees after-school programs throughout Maryland and DC and is responsible for developing and executing the program by leading coach-mentors and site-leads.

A native of Hopewell Junction, N.Y., Doherty is a 2018 graduate of John Jay with a bachelor's degree in international criminal justice.

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Kira Ketelhut

Kira Ketelhut joins the Catholic women's soccer staff in 2024 after completing her playing career at Shenandoah.

In three seasons of action at Shenandoah, the Reston, Va. native saw action in 14 games, stepping in between the pipes 12 times. She posted a record of 2-1 with 22 saves and a shutout victory in her career.

Ketelhut graduated in the spring of 2024 with a Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration. She will pursue a graduate degree in Applied Economics at Catholic University.

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An Nguyen

An Nguyen joined the Catholic women's soccer staff ahead of the 2024 campaign. Nguyen comes to Casey Sommers staff after experience in both the high school and collegiate games.

A graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University ('20), Nguyen spent a year as the volunteer assistant with the Marymount (Va.) women's program in 2021.

From 2020-2022, Nguyen worked as an Academy Coach for the Alexandria Soccer Association, coaching the U12 and U14 girls travel teams as well as the U15 CCL1 girls and U12 MLS Next boys futsal teams.

In 2022, Nguyen took over as the Head Coach of the U16 and U19 boys NCSL travel teams with McLean Youth Soccer. He was hired as the Head Varsity Soccer Coach at The Madeira School in August, 2023.

Nguyen holds US Soccer B (Candidate), US Soccer C, US Soccer D, and US Soccer Grassroots licenses. He also holds a United Soccer Coaches Level 1 Goalkeeper license.

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Connor Keenan

Connor Keenan takes over at the helm of the Catholic Men's Soccer for the 2024 season after spending the past season as the Head Men's Soccer Coach at King's College (Pa.). Keenan replaces his former boss, Travis Beauchamp, who left the university after 17 seasons.

After a highly successful run as an Assistant Coach at Denison, Catholic, and Lycoming, Keenan was hired to lead the Monarchs in June of 2023. King's finished 5-8-3 in 2023 with four players earning All-MAC Freedom honors. Nate Horn, Shane Serio, and Liam Yair all earned Second Team honors under Keenan's guidance.

Prior to his time at King's, Keenan was an assistant at Denison from 2020-2023. During Keenan's tenure, Denison posted a record of 22-10-5 while vaulting as high as #16 in the national rankings in 2022. The program won the North Coast Athletic Conference in 2021 for the first time in 12 years earning the staff United Soccer Coaches Region VII Staff of the Year. Denison went to the NCAA Tournament in 2021 for the first time since 2009.

Keenan spent nearly four years previously with the Catholic soccer program, coming on board in 2016 before departing in 2020 to head to Denison. Keenan was an Assistant Coach & Recruiting Coordinator under Beauchamp. During his time, the Cardinals posted a record of 42-27-8, winning the 2019 Landmark crown and hosting the NCAA Tournament. The Cardinals were ranked as highly as #10 during the 2019 run.

After finishing his playing days at Lycoming College, Keenan stayed on as an assistant as the team amassed a record of 18-2-2 to win the Middle-Atlantic Conference Championship. The team reached the Sweet 16 and earned a ranking as high as 10th. The Warriors had six all-conference, three all-region, and one all-american player during Keenan's tenure as an assistant.

Keenan's other experience outside of the college ranks includes Staff Coach & High School Boys Director of Coaching at Barcelona Academy - Columbus and Club Soccer Head Coach of DC Stoddert U15 & U16 Red in D.C.

As a player, Keenan was a four-year starter and two-year captain in goal for Lycoming. A First Team All-MAC Selection and First Team All-NSCAA All-Region honoree in 2014, Keenan was also an All-MAC Honoroable Mention Selection and MAC Tournament MVP in 2013 as the Warriors won the conference and reached the NCAA Tournament.

Keenan graduated from Lycoming with a Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice in 2015 before earning a Master of Science in Management at Catholic in 2018. He holds a U.S. Soccer C License, and has a United Soccer Coaches Advanced National Diploma as well as a Goalkeeping Level I Diploma. He is also USA Weightlifting Level 1 certified.

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Tim Hellermann

Hellermann returns to the men's soccer coaching staff for his second season ahead of the 2024 campaign, bringing a myriad of experience as both a player and a coach at the Division III level. In his first year with the program, Hellermann assisted in guiding the Cardinals to a 12-7-2 record and the sixth Landmark Conference championship in program history.

Prior to his time at Catholic, Hellermann completed two seasons as an assistant coach at Luther College. During the 2022 campaign, the Norse played to an impressive 12-4-5 record and won the American Rivers Conference Championship, booking a ticket to the DIII NCAA Tournament. That season yielded one all-America, four all-region and seven all-conference selections along with one player being named an academic All-American.

Hellermann came to Luther as a key player, finishing second on the team in points during his freshman year. Throughout his playing career, he contributed to two American River Conference Titles as well as a run to the Elite Eight. He earned two selections to the American River Conference First Team and was named Luther College Men's Soccer Breakout Player of the Year in 2020. During his junior campaign, a recurring injury pushed him to hang up his boots and join the coaching staff.

During his time at Luther, Hellermann also has spent time coaching local youth club Decorah United SC (U15B), leading the squad to an perfect season in 2023. He holds his UEFA B Soccer Coaching License, and while living in his native Germany, also coached multiple youth teams at 1. FC Gievenbeck.

Hellermann graduated from Luther in 2023 with a degree in Business Management.

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Nahom Fisseha

Fisseha returns to the Catholic men's soccer staff for his second season ahead of the 2024 season. In his first year with the program, Fisseha assisted in guiding the Cardinals to a 12-7-2 record and the sixth Landmark Conference championship in program history.

While Fisseha is new to coaching, he brings a myriad of playing experience at the highest level of high school and DIII NCAA competition. He attended St. Mary's (Md.) where he was a three-year captain. As a midfielder, he made 56 appearances scoring once and providing four assists. During his time in the program, the team won the United East regular season his senior season and the team achieved a program-record-high national ranking of No. 3 in the country. He was also named to the 2022 United East All-Sportsmanship Team and was a two-sport athlete, also participating in track & field.

Fisseha has spent the majority of his life living locally in Laurel, Md., and attended high school at local Archbishop Carroll in Washington, D.C. While there, he cemented himself as one of the top soccer players in the school's history. Playing in the ultra-competitive WCAC, Fisseha was a three-year All-WCAC selection and a two-time D.C. All-Star Game selection. He earned the honor of All-Star Game MVP once and was a four-year captain at Archbishop Carroll.