Visiting Mount St. Joseph Academy scored in the first 10 minutes of last Thursday’s league opener in soccer. As it turned out, that was the only goal the Magic would need to knock off host Merion Mercy Academy.

Senior Kaitlyn Cunningham deposited that initial goal and then scored again in the middle of the first half. Sophomore Kendall Kryst found the net late in the period for a 3-0 halftime lead, followed by junior Taylor Vogel, who scored early in the second half to round out a 4-0 Mount victory.

Before their Athletic Association of Catholic Academies debut, the Magic had already played four games against non-league opponents with a 2-2 result. They defeated Wissahickon High School (3-0) and Interboro (5-0), but lost to Upper Dublin (3-5) and Bishop Shanahan (4-5). Merion Mercy’s Golden Bears won both of the two non-league contests they played.

Mount St. Joe graduated seven seniors from last year’s roster, and two underclassmen did not come out this fall. Nick Bellizzie is back for his second season as Magic head coach, along with assistant James Keeley. The team captains for 2025 are Cunningham, fellow senior Jenna Miller, and junior goaltender Erin Romano.

The three captains, along with Kryst and Vogel, were all in the starting lineup at Merion last week, as were juniors Gabby Bernauer, Logan Murray, and Molly Rober, and sophomores Olivia Brandon, Anna Geib, and Catherine Gillespie.

Sophomore Caitlin Cavallaro, who started last year as a freshman, was temporarily out of action last week with a minor ankle injury.

The visitors went on the attack from the start of the game. In a scramble near the right post of the Merion goal, Golden Bears keeper Mairead McGuire dove and pushed the ball farther out to the right of the cage. Cunningham quickly closed in from the wing and shot the ball high into the left side of the net.

Just seven minutes and 11 seconds into the match, the Magic acquired a lead they’d never lose. The visitors picked up an insurance goal with 23 minutes remaining in the first half, when Cunningham scored again.

The home team did generate some offensive activity, but most of the times MSJ netminder Romano touched the ball, she was not stopping a shot, but rather scooping up a loose ball rolling toward the cage or the endline.

The half ended on a down note for Merion, as Kryst scored in the final minute to make it 3-0 at the intermission.

Instead of sitting on their lead, the Mounties went back on the offensive at the start of the second period. They took the ball down the right wing and centered it, finding Vogel open in front of the goal for a successful shot. The 4-0 final score was now on the board with 38:46 still remaining in the game.

Later, Merion’s McGuire leapt up to stop the ball at the crossbar after Rober launched an outside shot. Vogel closed in on the rebound, but McGuire got there first. McGuire also made a stop on a long shot from the left wing by Miller before turning the cage over to the Bears’ backup goalie.

With their substantial lead, the Mounties were able to get a number of reserve players into the game and do some experimenting.

Although the sky increasingly clouded over during the second half, the varsity teams were able to get their game in before any raindrops fell.

The Magic were slated to play their next league game at home against perennial AACA power Villa Joseph Marie.