Soccer captains lead on field, in faith

Wearing the captain’s band evokes several leadership qualities.

For Leah DiCicco, it’s pride. For Alexa von Hohenstein, it’s comfort. Both Camden Catholic seniors use it as motivation to push their team forward while playing one of the toughest high school soccer schedules in South Jersey.

“I’m really proud that I’m able to represent my team that way,” said DiCicco, a Cherry Hill native who attended Christ the King Regional School in Haddonfield. “I think I’m a good leader and so is Alexa, and I think it’s important as a captain to pick up your team after losses. It’s just motivation. It’s telling them that we are better than this and not to keep our heads down.”

The Irish are climbing their way up after a season that saw four wins in 2023. With six games in the win column through Oct. 20, things are looking bright for Camden Catholic’s future thanks to the pair of senior captains in DiCicco and von Hohenstein.

“It definitely means a lot,” said von Hohenstein, who attended Saint Joan of Arc School in her hometown of Marlton. “I was really hoping to be a captain this year. I like being a leader. When we are playing a game, I like the other girls knowing that I have their backs. I just want everyone to feel safe and have everyone work together.”

Von Hohenstein teaches those same principles in her spare time as a fourth-grade intramural basketball coach at Saint Joan of Arc. “It’s very fun,” she said. “I love it so much.”

Van Hohenstein, a defender for the Irish on the soccer field, plays basketball at Camden Catholic in the winter. She’s also a National Honors Society student and part of the school’s Pilarz Scholars, which is structured to challenge students academically and help them develop into leaders in the school community and the greater community outside of the classroom. It certainly transfers to the soccer field, especially when the team suffers a loss.

“We’ve had a couple tough losses, and I think it’s important to remind the girls that we are very talented individually and we have a lot of potential together as a team that we have to unlock,” she said. “When one of these games doesn’t go our way, it’s important to keep our heads up and move forward.”

The Irish, this season especially, play a tough Olympic Conference schedule. A 6-9 record through Oct. 20 doesn’t quite give a true reflection of their efforts, as Camden Catholic has faced six of the top 10 teams in South Jersey, as voted by the South Jersey Coaches Association. 

DiCicco, a midfielder, is also heavily involved at school. In addition to being a member of the National Honors Society, she participates in the Link Crew, which provides mentoring to the freshmen class, and the Green & White Society, which produces student ambassadors.

“I think my favorite activity is Christian Ministry,” DiCicco said. “We plan a lot of retreats. There was one I went to last year called Kairos, and I enjoyed it. I’m going to be one of the leaders of it this year.”

Kairos is a three-day retreat where students are encouraged to open up to God’s love.

“You find a better relationship with yourself, with your friends, and with God,” DiCicco said. “You learn things about your friends that you didn’t know before, and it gives you a new perspective on how to treat everyone. Everyone is going through things you don’t know about. It’s helped me understand that.” 

It’s another quality component of being a good captain.