Mondelli plays big for Bartlett
By Bill Stone
Don’t tell Bartlett senior Christina Mondelli that being 5-foot-3 works against her on the soccer field.
“I don’t think so. I just think I’m quick so it’s easier to use my speed as an advantage with my size,” Mondelli said.
Once again, Mondelli certainly will play a big role for the Hawks this season.
Not only will the NCAA Division II Lewis University recruit contribute again at right outside midfielder. Mondelli and center defender Maddie Donnelly are the only two seniors in the program after 11 seniors graduated in 2019.
“Coming into this year, we’re really happy to have such competitive underclassmen. We really want to lead this year and bring along the underclassmen, too, to get in that competitive environment,” Mondelli said.
“We were really just trying to lead the team during practice and everybody into that competitive mindset (before the layoff).”
That kind of approach helped Mondelli in her college soccer decision. This is her second year playing club soccer for Eclipse; she previously played for Campton United.
“I got put on a really competitive soccer team freshman year. That’s when I realized (playing college soccer) was what I really wanted to do, and I thought I could fit in with the other girls and players,” Mondelli said.
During the current layoff with the COVID-19 pandemic, Mondelli said she has been trying to run at least every other day along with weight training and maintaining her soccer skills.
“I guess that I have a really hard work ethic, and I want to keep developing my game and that I’m really competitive,” Mondelli said.
Besides years of soccer playing, Mondelli probably gained field vision from basketball. She was a point guard in Bartlett’s girls basketball program as a sophomore and freshman following years of traveling basketball.
“She’s a really smart player out there,” Bartlett coach Vince Revak said. “Even though she lacks the height and size of a lot of attacking players, she really makes up for it with speed and footwork.”
Mondelli had one goal last season for the Hawks. She’s hoping to be a stronger offensive threat this year through her experience and, yes, her speed.
“She’s a really huge asset. It’s huge to be the type of player always running, always showing you want to get the ball,” Donnelly said.
“She’s definitely super quick on the ball. She always has her head up, always a huge aspect on the attacking end of it, great hustle. She really runs as hard as she can almost all times.”
Offense is a big priority for the Hawks after an often frustrating 2019. They lost seven games by one goal -- four of them 1-0 – and were shut out 10 times. The season opener was a scoreless tie.
“(Losing close games) was really hard on us, because we knew we were good competition compared to these other teams,” Mondelli said.
“It would be a really close game. We’d see our side and the opposition side right there battling and then they would get a PK or something else and we’d let one in at the end of the game.”
Mondelli and Donnelly should provide stability and leadership up the middle. Mondelli thinks key to the team’s success will be playing hard and how well several newcomers combine with the returnees.
“I just think we’re going to have a good speed of play and have a good mix of midfielders and defenders,” Mondelli said. “We really connect well and click. We just mesh well together basically. We’re good at transition and just the way we take possession.”
This past fall, Lewis was 8-8-3 (6-6-3 in Great Lakes Valley Conference) and lost in the quarterfinals of the GLVC Tournament. The Flyers won the initial GLVC Tournament in 1995 and have made seven tournament appearances since.
Mondelli committed and signed with Lewis in November. Her recruiting interest in other Division II and GLVC programs helped Mondelli see first-hand how the Flyers fit her style of play.
“I just like how competitive and how motivated the girls were. It’s just a really good atmosphere to be in to play,” Mondelli said. “I like how they had a really high speed when they played. I like to keep the ball moving.”
By Bill Stone
Don’t tell Bartlett senior Christina Mondelli that being 5-foot-3 works against her on the soccer field.
“I don’t think so. I just think I’m quick so it’s easier to use my speed as an advantage with my size,” Mondelli said.
Once again, Mondelli certainly will play a big role for the Hawks this season.
Not only will the NCAA Division II Lewis University recruit contribute again at right outside midfielder. Mondelli and center defender Maddie Donnelly are the only two seniors in the program after 11 seniors graduated in 2019.
“Coming into this year, we’re really happy to have such competitive underclassmen. We really want to lead this year and bring along the underclassmen, too, to get in that competitive environment,” Mondelli said.
“We were really just trying to lead the team during practice and everybody into that competitive mindset (before the layoff).”
That kind of approach helped Mondelli in her college soccer decision. This is her second year playing club soccer for Eclipse; she previously played for Campton United.
“I got put on a really competitive soccer team freshman year. That’s when I realized (playing college soccer) was what I really wanted to do, and I thought I could fit in with the other girls and players,” Mondelli said.
During the current layoff with the COVID-19 pandemic, Mondelli said she has been trying to run at least every other day along with weight training and maintaining her soccer skills.
“I guess that I have a really hard work ethic, and I want to keep developing my game and that I’m really competitive,” Mondelli said.
Besides years of soccer playing, Mondelli probably gained field vision from basketball. She was a point guard in Bartlett’s girls basketball program as a sophomore and freshman following years of traveling basketball.
“She’s a really smart player out there,” Bartlett coach Vince Revak said. “Even though she lacks the height and size of a lot of attacking players, she really makes up for it with speed and footwork.”
Mondelli had one goal last season for the Hawks. She’s hoping to be a stronger offensive threat this year through her experience and, yes, her speed.
“She’s a really huge asset. It’s huge to be the type of player always running, always showing you want to get the ball,” Donnelly said.
“She’s definitely super quick on the ball. She always has her head up, always a huge aspect on the attacking end of it, great hustle. She really runs as hard as she can almost all times.”
Offense is a big priority for the Hawks after an often frustrating 2019. They lost seven games by one goal -- four of them 1-0 – and were shut out 10 times. The season opener was a scoreless tie.
“(Losing close games) was really hard on us, because we knew we were good competition compared to these other teams,” Mondelli said.
“It would be a really close game. We’d see our side and the opposition side right there battling and then they would get a PK or something else and we’d let one in at the end of the game.”
Mondelli and Donnelly should provide stability and leadership up the middle. Mondelli thinks key to the team’s success will be playing hard and how well several newcomers combine with the returnees.
“I just think we’re going to have a good speed of play and have a good mix of midfielders and defenders,” Mondelli said. “We really connect well and click. We just mesh well together basically. We’re good at transition and just the way we take possession.”
This past fall, Lewis was 8-8-3 (6-6-3 in Great Lakes Valley Conference) and lost in the quarterfinals of the GLVC Tournament. The Flyers won the initial GLVC Tournament in 1995 and have made seven tournament appearances since.
Mondelli committed and signed with Lewis in November. Her recruiting interest in other Division II and GLVC programs helped Mondelli see first-hand how the Flyers fit her style of play.
“I just like how competitive and how motivated the girls were. It’s just a really good atmosphere to be in to play,” Mondelli said. “I like how they had a really high speed when they played. I like to keep the ball moving.”