Women's Water Polo | June 13, 2023

PHILADELPHIA, Pa. – La Salle women's water polo head coach James Wolff has announced his first recruiting class adding six new additions to the roster for the 2024 season.
 
"I am super excited to welcome my first recruiting class to La Salle! This group of student-athletes bring a lot of water polo experience while maintaining the high academic standards that our program displays," said Wolff. "I have no doubts that this group of recruits are the most talented class La Salle water polo has ever had. The 2024 season will provide our players a huge opportunity to be successful and hopefully win a MAAC Championship!"
 
Lily Kirby, Katelyn Cuthbert, Sofia Kolovou, Carlotta Zandali, Amanda Fadil and Martina Bonet Saez will take the pool with the Explorers for the 2024 season.
 




Kirby, an incoming freshman, comes to La Salle from Stockton, California, The goalkeeper is a two-time T-CAL league MVP and two-time All-CIF San Joaquin Valley team member. In her senior season, she was named San Joaquin Valley All-America. During her three high school seasons, she made 1,004 saves. Additionally, Kirby trains with the Big Valley Water Polo Club.
 
"Lily joins us from Stockton, California playing for the Big Valley Water Polo Club. La Salle fans know the strength of our program has been in our goalkeeper over the years. Lily will add to the legacy of top goalkeeping in North Philly," said Wolff. "She is an extremely hard worker with a desire to develop herself at the NCAA level. Her ability to move laterally and pass the ball in transition will spark our counterattack. With the help of our assistant coach/goalkeeping coach, Bobby Halligan, her advancement will be accelerated. She will look to compete for the starting job right away and lead our defense."









Cuthbert, another goalkeeper, comes to 20^th & Olney from Perkasie, Pennsylvania. The incoming freshman earned Second Team All-State, All-League and All-Conference following her senior season. She is also a Beast of the East Champion and a two-time Northeast Zone Goalkeeper at nationals.
 
"Katelyn is another goalkeeper from local Pennridge High School. She will continue the tradition of local talent at La Salle. Her ability to communicate with her defense is a major strength of her game," said Wolff. "A nursing major who takes great pride in her academics, she also has the ability to manage all that a student-athlete deals with. I am looking forward to seeing where she can go in her career at La Salle. She will look to compete for playing time at the goalkeeper position. Our coaching staff is excited to bring in two freshman goalkeepers that are ready to compete right away!"








Kolovou, a senior transfer, comes to Philadelphia from St. Francis Brooklyn. The center forward competed for three seasons with the Terriers and ranked third on the team in scoring with 56 goals for the 2023 season. A native of Palaio Faliro, Greece, Kolovou represented the famed Greek club, Vouliagmeni. She was a member of the 2017 first-place U15 Greek Championship team, the 2018 second-place U19 Greek Championship team, the 2019 second-place U17 Greek Championship team and the 2020 second-place Senior Nationals team.
 
"Sofia comes to us from former conference rival, St. Francis Brooklyn. Her physicality at the center position will bring us tremendous depth. Her addition will allow us to sub more liberally and provide more depth to our roster," said Wolff. "The experience that she brings in the conference is also very valuable. Bringing three years of playing at the NCAA level will provide our team with more confidence that we can win any game. Her playing background in Europe will translate into our training model, with a more professional approach to her workouts. Participating with top club Vouliagmeni in Greece will bring the focus that we need in trainings to be successful."







Zandali, a junior transfer, comes to La Salle from Long Beach City College. The center forward played two seasons with Long Beach recording 42 goals, 24 assists, 25 steals, and 25 exclusions drawn in 27 games last season. The Milan, Italy native competed in Italian Serie A1, Italy's top league, taking fourth in the 2020 National Championships. She also represented Canottieri Milano.
 
"Carlotta is originally from Milan, Italy, but played the last two years for Long Beach City College. She will add a lot of experience and depth to our center forward position. Carlotta is a very strong, physical center that plays off the ball very well," said Wolff. "Her ability to hold position on the two-meter line will bring our perimeter offense closer to the goal. With her ability to force the defense to collapse, we see our offense being more explosive this season. Carlotta also has an ability to draw exclusion fouls, which will also give our offense more freedom to play on extra. With this important addition, it will give the coaching staff flexibility to play with traditional one center, but also add additional tactics when playing in double post. La Salle supporters should be excited to see what Carlotta can do in the pool this year."








Fadil comes to Philadelphia from East Greenville, Pennsylvania. The incoming freshman was named Second Team All-State and Small School State Champion in 2021. Most recently, the utility earned First Team All-State and All-Conference Honorable Mention recognitions.
 
"Amanda is another local talent from Upper Perkiomen High School. She has shown extreme dedication to the sport, often traveling long distances to get playing opportunities. This passion for the sport is something that we look for in all our recruits," said Wolff. "I am looking forward to seeing what Amanda can do when she is exposed to elite coaching and higher-level competition. The sky is the limit for her, and her development has just begun. Her amazing academic record along with her impressive water polo resume will bring the correct balance to be successful at the Division I level."









Bonet Saez makes the trip to La Salle from Sabadell, Spain. The attacker helped lead her Sabadell Senior Team to first place in the Spanish Honor Division in 2022 and 2023. She brought home silver medals at both the Spanish Super Cup and National Cup in 2022. Additionally, she was selected for the Sabadell roster in the Champions League, the highest league in the world.
 
"Martina is arriving in Philadelphia from Sabadell, Spain. She has played most of her life for Sabadell, which was just crowned the best club in the world. This club features some of the best players in the world. This background is what Martina will bring to the table, professionalism in her approach to the sport plus extreme focus to technical and tactical development," said Wolff. "Martina had the opportunity to join Sabadell on their Champions League roster, which allowed her to train daily against the best. I am so excited to welcome Martina to La Salle and know that she will be an impact player right away. Her ability to play on the left side will pair well with our returning First Team All-Conference player Francesca Co'. This one-two combination is going to be exciting and Explorer fans should be ready for some big offensive outputs.