Kearny High legend Pace Kivlehan returns as girls’ soccer coach

It was the famed author Thomas Wolfe who once penned, “You can’t go home again.”

Well, it’s obvious that Wolfe wasn’t writing about Stefanee Pace Kivlehan.

The legendary athlete, easily the best girls’ soccer player Kearny High School ever produced, was appointed last week as the new head girls’ soccer coach at her alma mater.

Kivlehan, whose husband, Patrick, plays for the Cincinnati Reds, was an All-American during her playing days at Kearny, compiling more than 100 goals and 100 assists in her illustrious career that ended in 2004. Kivlehan then went on to play at Rutgers University and soon became a highly respected youth soccer coach with the Kearny Thistle program. She eventually became the head coach at Secaucus High School, but resigned last year to concentrate on the responsibilities with the Thistle.

When long-time girls’ coach Vin Almeida had to step down in order to replace John Millar as the athletic director, the door swung wide open for Kivlehan to throw her hat into the ring to replace Almeida.

“Once I got into coaching, it was always something I dreamed about doing,” Kivlehan said. “I was real excited when the position opened up. This where I played and made so many memories. It’s going to be awesome.”

Kivlehan said that a majority of the returning players on the Kearny varsity are players who once played for Kivlehan with the Kearny Thistle program.

“I had a majority of them since they were 10,” Kivlehan said. “I’m very familiar with a lot of them. So that gets us off to a really good start. I always told the parents (at Kearny Thistle) that if something opened up at Kearny, I would 100 percent consider it.”

Kivlehan’s middle sister, Samantha, worked as an assistant with Stefanee at Secaucus. The youngest sister, Sydney, is a senior at Kearny High and will attend William Paterson University to play softball there in the fall.

“Ever since Sydney was there and playing, I always went to her games to watch,” Kivlehan said. “I also volunteered (as an assistant coach) with Vin (a few years ago) and was excited then to be back.”

Kivlehan said that she was worried how her youngest sister would handle her being the new soccer coach.

“She actually surprised me and said it would be awesome if I became the coach,” Kivlehan said. “She said, ‘Too bad you missed me by a year. It would have been cool to have my sister as head coach and we would be bumping heads.’ I wish I would have had the chance to coach Syd. It would have been great to have the two of us together.”

Kivlehan said that she is excited about the prospects of the Kardinals in the future.

“We have a lot of young talent,” Kivlehan said. “I’m interested in seeing what these girls could do.”

Kivlehan said she had a brief meeting with the players last week after her appointment.

“A few of them seemed really excited,” Kivlehan said. “They were asking me every day, ‘Did you get it? Did you get the job?’ They seemed really happy for me. I told them that we had a brief introduction before I made official summer plans.”

Kivlehan said that she thinks the transition from Almeida to her as a coach will be a smooth one.

“They know me for a long time and they know how I operate,” Kivlehan said. “They know what I’m all about. They know I want to inject some Kearny pride back into the program. A lot of people don’t have that.”

Kivlehan said that she has received full support from Almeida.

“Anything I’ve wanted, he’s been able to get me,” Kivlehan said.

Kivlehan was also happy that the assistant coaches have agreed to remain on with her as part of the staff.

It’s also a blessing for the program to have a female coach for the first time.

“I think having a female coach helps, especially one who has been through it all,” Kivlehan said.

But never in her wildest dreams did Kivlehan see herself taking over the program at such a young age.

“It was definitely not what I saw in my future,” Kivlehan said. “I can’t ask for anything more. I’m coming back to the school where I went and played. I think it’s all perfect timing.”

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Jim Hague | Observer Sports Writer

Sports Writer Jim Hague was with The Observer for 20+ years — and his name is one of the most recognizable in all of sports journalism. The St. Peter’s Prep and Marquette alum kicked off his journalism career post Marquette at the Daily Record, where he remained until 1985. Following shorts stints at two other newspapers, in September 1986, he joined the now-closed Hudson Dispatch, where he remained until 1991, when its doors were finally shut.

It was during his tenure at The Dispatch that Hague’s name and reputation as one of country’s hardest-working sports reporters grew. He won several New Jersey Press Association and North Jersey Press Club Awards in that timeframe.

In 1991, he became a columnist for The Hudson Reporter chain of newspapers — and he remains with them to this day.

In addition to his work at The Observer and The Hudson Reporter, Hague is also an Associated Press stringer, where he covers Seton Hall University men’s basketball, New York Red Bulls soccer and occasionally, New Jersey Devils hockey.

He’s also doing work at The Morristown Daily Record, the very newspaper where his journalism career began.

During his career, he also worked for Dorf Feature Services, which provided material for the Star-Ledger. While there, he covered the New York Knicks and the New Jersey Nets.

Hague is also known for his announcing work — and he’s done PA work for Rutgers Newark and NJIT.

Hague is the author of the book “Braddock: The Rise of the Cinderella Man.”