CCHS’ Emmy O’Donnell getting her shot at a national soccer spotlight

During a Acton-Carlisle High School girls soccer game last fall, Emmy O’Donnell found herself with a shadow. 

“They had a player assigned to do nothing but run with her,” Coach Peter Fischelis said. “Emmy jogged over to the sideline and said, ‘Coach, she won’t leave my side.’ I said, ‘Hey, just outrun her.’” 

That might sound like a tall order, but Emmy is unlike most players. 

Last month, the rising junior, 16, was one of 24 players nationwide — and the only one from Massachusetts — to be named to the U.S. Under-17 Women’s National Team.

Emmy attended her first training camp in Fayetteville, Georgia. 

“It was awesome,” she said. “I’ve never been at a place with such a high level. … I saw myself grow throughout the week, and it was really cool to be with players who just were so good.”

A decade on the field

Emmy started playing town soccer when she was 4 years old. Her parents also enrolled her at FC Stars in Acton, as her sister was taking gymnastics nearby. 

But by the time she was in fourth grade, she had to pick a path.

“It’s crazy to think fourth grade is the cutoff for that, but there starts to be a time where you can’t do both, and you kind of have to choose,” she said. “That’s when we decided we were going to do this and commit to this higher level.” 

Players for the national team are recruited via a scouting process. Emmy said that takes the process out of her hands, but her coaches disagree.  

“I had a chat with her FC Stars coach [Graeme Blackman] last year, and we both were of the same opinion — that it was a matter of time,” Fischelis said. “I’ve had one other player in my 12 years who was on the same route and went to national team camp, and Emmy has got her skill and even a higher work rate. So it’s not surprising to me at all.”

Emmy has been “somebody that’s been on their list for a while,” Blackman said. “The last two years, she’s been one of the best players in our conference. … I will be less humble for her: It was her ability that got her called in.”

Emmy’s versatility affords her coaches flexibility in optimizing her skill set. 

“She’s a wing-back in our system of play,” Blackman said, “which means she plays on both sides of the ball.”

Fischelis added: “Sometimes we put her up front, as a forward, and sometimes we put her in the midfield.”

Both Blackman and Fischelis praised Emmy’s work ethic and desire to elevate her game. 

“She’s always looking for feedback, always wants to identify areas that she can improve,” Blackman said. 

He said he appreciates the energy Emmy brings to the sport on and off the field. 

“Emmy is always training at the highest level and is really focused on the details,” he said. “That’s why she’s the player she is.” 

As a freshman, Fischelis said, Emmy had six goals and seven assists. This past season, she was the second leading scorer, with eight goals and three assists, and earned All-State honors. She’s also a two-time Dual County All-League and Eastern Mass. All-Star and an Elite Clubs National League New England Conference Player of the Year.

Team ‘glue’

Fischelis said they’ve spent a lot of time on team bonding, and Emmy excels in that area. 

“She’s a great friend,” he said. “She always seems to have a positive attitude and is encouraging to all her teammates. It’s a delight to coach her.”

Blackman agreed. 

“A lot of things make Emmy special,” he said. “She’s one of the people that I would call ‘glue people’ on the team. She keeps the group together.”

Emmy has games she calls “core memories,” but “the most important part is the friends and the chemistry that you have,” she said. 

“I think it often gets overlooked, how important it is to create connections with people and how that translates to how you play on the field. Part of the reason why I’m so passionate about soccer is the friendships I’ve made on and off the field,” she said. 

“We’re not really competing against each other; we’re competing for the same thing. And I think it brings everyone together.”

The U17 World Cup is in October, and though Emmy doesn’t yet know if she’ll be on that team, she’s on a path that could lead her there. 

“I definitely want to play in college,” she said. “Post-college, it would be a great opportunity. I just have to see what the four years of college take me through.”