Kelly Severini joined the coaching staff in April 2026 and brings an international playing background and coaching experience to the program.
"Our program is excited to be bringing Kelly on to staff," Bhattacharjee said of her hire. "She brings terrific experience from her collegiate background as well as her professional playing. Throughout the process her infectious spirit and passion for the game and developing student-athletes was evident and impressive. Kelly will be a tremendous influence in many facets within the program and we are thrilled she joined the Bearcat family."
A native of Union, N.J., Severini has several soccer ties to the Bearcats during her career. Most recently, she played professionally for Matera Citta dei Sassi Women in Matera, Italy.
As a collegiate midfielder/defender, Severini played for Hartford in the America East and then played two seasons at Big Ten power Michigan State before finishing her career at University at Buffalo. She was a Dean's List student at all three institutions and was a Big Ten Distinguished Scholar in 2022-23.
Severini was an America East first team all-conference and all-region defender as a freshman at Hartford in 2021. She scored four goals and collected 11 points during the campaign, which took her to the Bearcats Sports Complex for a game against the Bearcats in October. At Michigan State, she helped the Spartans win two straight Big Ten titles and reach the NCAA third round in 2023. As a sophomore, she notched her first career point with an assist in MSU's 2-0 home win over Binghamton. Severini closed her career at fellow SUNY Center Buffalo, where she started all 20 games and tallied three more goals from the midfield ranks.
Her coaching experience has included leading the ODP 2014 Girls team in New Jersey and serving as head coach at the Princeton Soccer Academy.
Severini began her competitive career as a three-time all-county player at Union High School in northeastern New Jersey. She was a UCGSA All Star Top-16 as a senior and played for the NJ Stallions, ranked in the top-ten among clubs in New Jersey.
