Senior Emily Orwig finally arrives home late most evenings.
Her 7 to 9 p.m. soccer practices on Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday, include an hour and a half of travel. Exhausted, she drops her soccer bag on the floor of her room and her keys on her desk, and flings herself onto her bed. She brings up her hands to smooth her crinkling forehead. Then, with a sigh, she pushes herself off of the bed and reaches for her backpack.
It is just the beginning of another late night of homework.
Orwig is a student athlete, juggling playing a competitive sports with having a social life and doing well in school. For her, soccer is more than a “game.” It is a passion, one to which she has dedicated hours and hours since she was 8 years old when she began playing for Lamorinda Soccer Club.
“There’s just something about the game,” Orwig said. “Soccer is pretty amazing when you think about it.”
At a young age, Orwig knew that she wanted to continue playing soccer beyond high school, targeting top division I programs in the hopes of being recruited in college. “There has always been the dream to play in college,” Orwig explained.
Her recruiting process began the summer before her junior year. She began approaching coaches through email and attending identification camps and showcase tournaments. All in all, she went to 4 I.D. camps: LMU, UCSB, Dartmouth, and Cal Poly.
On Memorial Day of her junior year, she verbally committed to Cal Poly SLO, a division I program. “I chose Cal Poly because they try to play possession style soccer, and the coaches and girls are nice,” she explained. Orwig was also drawn to its acclaimed science program.
She believes that the sport is unique because it requires foot-eye coordination instead of hand-eye. Unlike other sports, where one can just jump into it, soccer requires a fair amount of instruction before progress can be made. “You really have to put in the work and hours in order to achieve,” she said.
Orwig is a center midfielder, specifically an attacking midfielder. Her position requires great technicality and fitness. “You have to have a high work ethic and good technical skills,” she said of being a center midfielder.
By the time she hit her sophomore year, Orwig had given up every other sport, even though she was a great tennis player and gymnast, in order to focus on soccer. At 10, she stopped competing in gymnastics. Similarly, after playing varsity tennis her freshman year, she decided to give up playing it competitively. “Club became more competitive, so I made the decision to quit my other sports. I felt that I needed to commit to one team,” she explained.
However, she does not regret the sacrifices she has made for the game.
Specifically, she has loved playing for her club team, Lamorinda Soccer. The team attempts to play a possession-oriented type of game where players keep the ball and develop plays instead of a more direct route, kicking it and then chasing. “I love that the style of soccer is calm instead of frantic. I believe we play the sport the way it should be,” she said.
Playing soccer has taught Orwig many things both on and off of the field. The competitiveness of her team has encouraged her to attain her goals. “I’ve always been challenged to do my best,” she said.
Soccer has taught her how to make better decisions and think more quickly. “It’s a very intelligent sport. It’s shown me that you have to think before you act.”
Orwig has done quite well for herself both on and off the field. Her club team is ranked #1 in northern California and #18 in the nation. The team has won various premier tournaments including the Las Vegas Players Showcase and Denmark Football Festival.
She is also a member of the Campolindo girl’s soccer team that won the North Coast Sectional (NCS) in 2014 and the Diablo Athletic Foothill League in 2013. Individually, she was named Offensive Player of the Year her freshman, junior and senior years as the top scorer for her team.
“My parents, teammates, and coaches have helped me to strive to achieve,” Orwig explained.
Orwig has made sacrifices to play club and high school soccer. She has sometimes had to forgo time spent with friends and family, and even time that could be spent on school work, for her commitments to her sport.
“By playing a sport, I am giving up study time,” she said. Orwig especially felt pressure during her junior year when she had to balance recruiting, club soccer, and school work. “It was especially difficult junior year.”
“There have definitely been tough times when I have had to stay up very, very late,” she added.
Although having less time for homework and studying have been difficult for Orwig, she does not regret playing a competitive sport. She has gotten used to juggling school, soccer, and social life.
“I honestly don’t know anything different,” she said.
Orwig dreams of becoming a physical therapist. She believes that being an athlete impacted her aspiration. “Playing soccer has definitely influenced my career choice,” she said.
Sophomore year, Orwig broke her collarbone. She was out for 5 months, missing the end of the club season and the entire high school season. After being off of the field for so long, Orwig was desperate to get back to it. Two surgeries and months of rest later, she jumped back into training for the spring club season.
“I know how important it is to get a player back out on the field. I think that it will be a gratifying experience for me to spur this process,” she said.
