By BRIAN TORTELLA
Correspondent
@tortreports on Instagram
The year was 1999.
Karen Anderson still remembers walking off the field after a gut-wrenching state finals loss to Immaculate Heart Academy.
A freshman on the Paul VI High girls soccer team at the time, it would end up being the only state championship game appearance of her four-year playing career.
Little did Anderson know at the time that — more than two decades later — she would be at the helm of the very program she once starred for.
In her seventh season as the head coach at her alma mater, the 2003 PVI graduate has taken the program to unprecedented heights. During her tenure, she has guided the Eagles to three state finals appearances and back-to-back Non-Public A state championships.
The success, however, didn’t come overnight.
During her first two seasons, the Eagles had a 13-19-1 record before quickly blossoming into one of the premier programs in the region. The growing pains on the way to this point are now a distant memory.
“It was a real challenge when she started,” said assistant coach and former teammate Lauren Ferretti. “It was a changing of culture. One of the things that she strived to do was create a winning environment that Paul VI has always had. It was difficult the first couple of years, because it was a change in what some of the previous girls were used to.
“Karen is so good at getting the girls to perform at their best, but also giving them direction. There’s a system and technical skills you need to be working on constantly. It’s very purposeful and intentional.”
A 2005 graduate of the parochial school, Ferretti played alongside Anderson during their scholastic days and has been by her side since the start of Anderson’s tenure seven years ago. After enduring those rebuilding seasons together, the duo has helped transform Paul VI into a perennial powerhouse, compiling a 71-9-3 record the last four seasons. Now, Anderson is three wins away from 100 in her career.
“I think I needed those early years for me as a coach,” Anderson explained. “I needed to learn how to manage a team and bring a culture into a team and to learn what kind of players we wanted to bring to the program. I needed to get through those first couple of years first to learn what kind of standard and expectations we want from the program.”
Outside of the program, there’s a perception that Paul VI’s success is fueled by recruiting. Even more impressive considering the program’s success, is that belief couldn’t be further from the truth. Anderson, who serves as the director of the Patruno FP club program and works for the Philadelphia Union and Cedar Stars Atlantic during the offseason, said her squad is built simply on younger players wanting to come to Paul VI and play for the program she has built.
“It’s tough. I do soccer a lot, so to find the time to get players over here is not on our radar,” Anderson said. “We’ve been fortunate enough to have players here that have made an impact on our program.”
Anderson said her star-studded lineup has caught the attention of youth players across the region. South Jersey’s future stars look up to former standouts Emma McCarthy, now a lacrosse player at the University of North Carolina, and Daniela Vogel, now a soccer player at Miami, along with current stars Hunter Kintzing, Camryn Koerner, and Eleanor Lawyer, just to name a few.
“We have ball girls coming to watch us,” Anderson said. “They know all of our players’ names. They just want to be the next generation here, and they want to fulfill the legacy these girls have started.”
Entering this fall as the No. 7-ranked team in the country, Paul VI has certainly lived up to the hype after coming off a perfect 24-0 season in 2025. The Eagles have a 17-1 record with nine shutouts this season. Their only setback came in a 1-0 loss to Shawnee on Sept. 18. Since then, they’ve won 13 straight.
Last year’s South Jersey Coaches Cup champion, Paul VI began its title defense with a 7-1 victory over Ocean City in the opening round of the tournament on Saturday and a 2-1 overtime win over Clearview in the quarterfinals on Monday. If both Paul VI and Shawnee win in the semis on Wednesday, we’ll see a rematch between the Eagles and the Renegades in the final round at Cherry Hill West Stadium on Halloween. Shawnee has been the only South Jersey program able to knock off Paul VI during the last three seasons, doing so earlier this season and in the 2024 Coaches Cup final.
Last year, Paul VI defeated the Renegades, 3-2, in the Coaches Cup final, overcoming a 2-0 deficit to force overtime before securing the victory. It marked a special moment in South Jersey soccer history as Anderson’s son, Ayden, scored the game-winning goal for the Washington Township boys program in its 1-0 overtime victory over St. Augustine Prep in the Coaches Cup final.
“These girls deserve it,” Anderson said of potentially making another title run in the Coaches Cup and Non-Public A playoffs. “They’ve made a significant impact. These 12 players that are graduating have won two state titles to date. For these players, it would mean the world for them to accomplish (another state title). For them, it would be the ultimate reward.
“Whatever I can do as a coach to get them there, I’m definitely going to do that. They’ve dedicated their whole time here to me and the program, so it’s the least we can do for them.”
Being able to have this level of success means a lot to Anderson, she said, and it truly means even more knowing it’s with the program that helped shape who she is today.
“It means a little more because this was a program I was a part of,” Anderson said. “When I played here, we had a great team, too, but we never won the championship.”
When the program first appeared in the national rankings last year, it was truly rewarding to say the least — a testament to what Anderson and Ferretti have accomplished giving back to their Alma Mater.
“I remember the first time last year in the beginning of the season, the JV coach pulled up the national rankings,” Ferretti recalled. “It’s incredible to see we are actually getting recognized on the national scale. It’s a testament to that change that Karen pushed for, and the buy-in for the girls and parents.
“What Karen wanted to build is letting the play speak for itself. It’s not a love; it’s a respect. Players are going to come here and get something out of it. They’re going to get better by the time they leave.”
Anderson said that’s been the most special part of this entire journey. Having an impact on her players and setting them up for success — at the same place her journey started nearly three decades ago.
“There’s something about this school that really just has people want to come back and give back,” Anderson said. “It really brings the community back into Paul VI.
“Whether it’s the sports programs or academics programs, there’s something that we all appreciate coming back and being successful here.”
What other notable South Jersey soccer figures have to have to say about Karen Anderson:
Drew Wagner, head girls soccer coach at Shawnee:
“Karen Anderson has done an incredible job with the Paul VI girls soccer program. She took over a good program and took it to the next level and now it is a state powerhouse. I love the rivalry that has developed between our programs over the last few years. We have played each other in the last two coaches cup finals with each of us winning one. I have so much respect for her and her program and I look forward to the rivalry continuing.”
Dan Matozzo, head girls soccer coach at Clearview:
“Karen is a soccer mind and a role model for girls who want to coach. There are a handful of women who coach at the varsity level. She has created a very competitive team that attracts players who want a chance to win and to become better because of the work she puts into it.”
Katina Anthony, head girls soccer coach at Cherry Hill West and President of the South Jersey Soccer Coaches Association:
“Coach Anderson is a passionate coach who is able to produce a championship-caliber program year after year. She is able to bring in great talent and have the girls play confidently and together with the ultimate goal to win division titles and championships.”
