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Redshirst first-year forward Emily Rossi arrived in Rogers Park last year with a broken foot leaving no chance to play with the Loyola women’s soccer team. This season, the Glen Ellyn, IL native has been electric in her nine starts with three goals on nine shots on goal.
Rossi was first introduced to soccer in kindergarten while playing in a local recreational league, but it wasn’t until first grade when she began playing for Sockers FC, a local club team, she fell in love with the game.
By eighth grade, Rossi said she knew she wanted to keep playing soccer as long as she could. She traveled to several soccer showcases with her club – experiences which solidified her desire to play collegiately and possibly continue on and make a career of the game.
Rossi played with Sockers in Palatine, IL for many years, even winning a national title with them in the Girls Academy National Final during her junior year of high school. She said being a part of Sockers for so many years helped develop her into the player and person she is today.
When it came time to pick a program, Loyola immediately felt like home to Rossi. Less than an hour away from her home, Loyola gave her the opportunity to remain close to family while also competing at a high level in the Atlantic 10 conference, according to Rossi.
Rossi also took note of the team’s chemistry, another factor she said was influential in her decision to come to Loyola. She said she valued the close connections with her hometown club teammates and saw Loyola as her opportunity to continue playing on a team that was so close.
One of the most notable traits about Rossi is her love of soccer, according to interim head coach Angela Staveskie, which becomes contagious to both teammates and staff.
“She’s someone that you want to be around,” Staveskie said. “She cares about her friends, she cares about our program and representing us off the field. So she’s just one of those people that brings out the best in the people around her, given her just pure love for soccer.”
Staveskie said Rossi’s love for the sport has enabled her to be a strong competitor on the field, but also bring a joyful presence to the team and their practices. Although Athletes can find it hard in the college game to balance their schoolwork and athletics, Staveskie said Rossi has been able to find the balance.
With Rossi, it’s clear every day in practice how much she loves being there, according to Staveskie. She added Rossi’s attitude brings out the best in those around her.
Despite missing last season, Staveskie said Rossi maintained her positive energy and was able to turn her injury into an opportunity for development, despite not being physically present on the pitch.
While sidelined, Staveskie said Rossi built up even more motivation to come in this season and contribute to the team’s success.
“She just has so much great potential,” Staveskie said. “It’s really exciting that she had that extra year and that time to develop, both as a person, but also to physically get better and, you know, fully recover from her injury.”
Rossi said she spent the spring working on getting her foot back to its original strength. From there, she spent time with a summer league team where she was able to regain her confidence while playing with her former teammates.
Although she was upset about not being able to play her first-year, Rossi said the injury gave her the opportunity to build stronger connections with all of her teammates, which she believes has helped her have the season she’s had so far.
In the Ramblers’ first game of the season against Eastern Illinois University, Rossi earned her first collegiate start and provided an instant impact, topping it off with two goals in 51 minutes of play.
“I just knew my level and knew that I could contribute and I just wanted to prove that to everyone,” Rossi said. “I felt like I really came in and proved myself and earned a spot and it was just super rewarding.”
Staveskie said it was amazing to watch Rossi’s hard work during the offseason pay off right away. She said Rossi is a player who aims to contribute to the team in any way she can, whether it be goals or assists, a quality that is exciting to see in a player.
On the field, Staveskie said Rossi’s vision and awareness makes her stand out on the field and gives her teammates and coaching staff the confidence in her ability to play.
When it comes to gameday, Rossi said her only pregame tradition is mascara and making sure her hair looks nice. The number of rituals she’s had have decreased over the years, but she maintains her motto, “look good, play good.”
On the field, Rossi attributes a lot of her success to her teammates and the relationships she’s been able to build over two years at Loyola. Rossi said as she was coming back to play, the support she received from her teammates was instrumental.
“I just have to go out there and work hard and trust myself,” Rossi said. “That’s a big thing because I know I have the talent and I know I have the skill to make an impact. I just need to trust that I can do that and trust my teammates around me and I know I’ll be successful.”
As the season draws to a close, the team looks to take a chance at becoming A10 champions, according to Rossi, who hopes to have more contributions along the way.
“Team-wise, I think we all want to win an A10 championship,” Rossi said. “Whether it’s regular season, but especially winning the conference tournament and hopefully getting a bid to the NCAA tournament, I think [it] would be awesome for the team. And I think we have every capability to accomplish that.”
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