Siobhan Nolan

The Philadelphia Inquirer, LLC • 7th April 2022

‘Jumping for joy inside’: La Salle water polo gives star player Kalista and her father Tom Hyham a family reunion

La Salle head coach Tom Hyham (left) talks with his team during a timeout as they play Marist in a water polo match at La Salle University in Philadelphia, Pa. on Sunday, April 3, 2022. Kalista Hyham (right), his daughter, and teammate Sophie Appler (center) listen on the pool deck. Read more

Kalista Hyham can’t get her coach’s attention during practice at La Salle’s Kirk Pool.

“Tom!” she shouts. He doesn’t turn around.

“Tom!” she tries again. Still no response.

After four years at Bucknell,

The Philadelphia Inquirer, LLC • 27th November 2021

La Salle coach Ashley Howard knows the importance of a game against Villanova, but isn’t letting it get to his head

If one were to do a trust fall, they would be hard-pressed to find a better person to stand behind them than Ashley Howard.

For one, he’s a big believer in trust. It’s what he’s hoping the La Salle men’s basketball team will gain from its faceoff against No. 7-ranked Villanova at The Palestra on Sunday, no matter what the result may be.

“I would hope that the one thing we get from that experience is having the trust of knowing that, by doing things a certain way, that you can put yourself in a

sportstalkphilly - News, rumors, game coverage of the Philadelphia Eagles, Philadelphia Phillies, Philadelphia Flyers, and Philadelphia 76ers • 11th October 2021

Paxten Aaronson Isn't His Brother

When your older brother is basically a Philadelphia Union icon, it leaves some big shoes to fill.

Brenden Aaronson only played about two seasons for the Union, and traded in Philadelphia for Austria when he was 20, but his journey is the stuff of local legend. He burst onto the MLS scene with a kind of skill, creativity, energy, and soccer IQ that few people expected out of the Philadelphia Union academy at the time. He quickly established himself as a starter in the first team. He was part of

The Philadelphia Inquirer, LLC • 7th October 2021

Serendipitous slice of home helps La Salle field hockey player Sofia Pla make an impact

La Salle’s Sofia Pla clears the ball during the Saint Louis at La Salle field hockey match at La Salle in Phila., Pa. on Oct. 1, 2021. Read more

Back home in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in addition to playing field hockey since the age of 5, Pla played tennis and soccer.

“I went from playing tennis and being alone and not knowing how to manage those feelings when losing a game, then to playing soccer, which, in Argentina, is not a common sport for women,” Pla said of growing up in Argentina. “Tha

The Philadelphia Inquirer, LLC • 20th September 2021

La Salle’s Christine Mancini runs on a busy schedule, eyes another Atlantic 10 crown

Christine Mancini runs six days a week, skipping only Wednesdays because that’s the day she has a 12½-hour clinical shift as part of her nursing major.

She was part of the La Salle track team that swept the Atlantic 10 championships in 2019. She made the all-conference team during the 2020-21 season. She runs cross-country in the fall, indoor track in the winter, outdoor track in the spring, and trains in the summer.

But visiting with a reporter in the La Salle University quad, Mancini is like

The Philadelphia Inquirer, LLC • 6th September 2021

From Johannesburg to La Salle, Junior Nare dreams of making his mark in soccer

Junior Nare is reserved when you first meet him. He has his hood up, hands folded, eyes down. He chuckles when he listens to La Salle soccer teammates Nk Tima and Cam Hall playfully dog on his gaming abilities in FIFA and NBA 2K. He nods politely when they iterate how upbeat, positive, and happy he is. He would describe himself pretty much the same way.

“I’m passionate, happy, and hardworking,” said Nare, a sophomore forward who had three goals and two assists in the Explorers’ 11 games last se

sportstalkphilly - News, rumors, game coverage of the Philadelphia Eagles, Philadelphia Phillies, Philadelphia Flyers, and Philadelphia 76ers • 15th July 2021

NYRB Youngster Caden Clark is On His Way to Europe—Here's What That Means for the Union

About a year ago, Brenden Aaronson and Mark McKenzie departed the Union for RB Salzburg and KRC Genk, respectively. Both were Homegrown players in the Union academy, both had only been regulars in the first team for a little over a year at that point, but both had been receiving serious attention from European clubs for a while.

It sounded almost too good to be true. Two players who had been brought up exclusively in the MLS system were now packing their bags and heading off to the elite league

sportstalkphilly - News, rumors, game coverage of the Philadelphia Eagles, Philadelphia Phillies, Philadelphia Flyers, and Philadelphia 76ers • 14th June 2021

FYI, Alejandro Bedoya Is an Iconic Philadelphia Sports Captain

Coming into the Union, then-29-year-old Alejandro Bedoya had an extensive international resume. He had played for Swedish clubs Orebro SK and Helsingborgs IF, Scottish club Rangers FC, and French club FC Nantes, along with having made 55 appearances for the United States men’s national team up to that point. Upon signing, someone with such diverse and extensive experience seemed natural for a captain’s distinction. Naturally, it wasn’t long until he received the armband.

Bedoya is everything on

sportstalkphilly - News, rumors, game coverage of the Philadelphia Eagles, Philadelphia Phillies, Philadelphia Flyers, and Philadelphia 76ers • 10th June 2021

Jim Curtin Finally Finds His Voice

When Jim Curtin was first announced as the new manager of the Union in 2014, he was little more than a relatively obscure former MLS defender from a little town called Oreland, baby-faced with no head coach experience prior to his appointment. He inherited the reign of John Hackworth, whose tenure trended positively but never had anything to show for it, and was tasked with doing the seemingly impossible—making something out of the ultimate MLS underdogs.

It hasn’t been an easy journey to the t

sportstalkphilly - News, rumors, game coverage of the Philadelphia Eagles, Philadelphia Phillies, Philadelphia Flyers, and Philadelphia 76ers • 7th June 2021

Here's to Looking at You, Kids: The Future of Young Talent in the Union's Academy

In 2019, Brenden Aaronson made his debut for the Philadelphia Union. He scored a goal on his debut, and was considered a backup playmaker before injuries and suspensions gave him a chance to break into the team as a regular starter.

In 2021, Aaronson’s transfer from the Union to Austrian club RB Salzburg became the most expensive transfer for an MLS homegrown player, and the 10th most expensive transfer of all time for an American soccer player. At just 20 years old, he’s won more club trophies