Suburban Life Athlete of the Week: Emmie Roberts, Glenbard West, soccer, senior

Name: Emmie Roberts

School: Glenbard West, senior

Sport: Soccer

Why she was selected: Roberts assisted on Glenbard West’s lone goal in a 1-0 sectional semifinal win over Downers Grove North and was one of four Hilltoppers to make penalty kicks in a 3-2 upset of top-seeded Lyons for the program’s first sectional title since 1997. She was voted the Athlete of the Week in an online vote by readers. Here is her interview with Sports Editor Joshua Welge.

Welge: How do you put the season in perspective?

Roberts: Coming into the season if you would have told me we’d be sectional champs I would have been in shock. I knew we had a really special team coming back after winning a regional last year. Throughout the season our chemistry got stronger and stronger. It was truly so much fun to play with all of them. We played together, and we played with each other. Going to the supersectional, it’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Welge: How gratifying was it to finish your high school career with that?

Roberts: I had wanted to do that since I was a freshman coming into high school. I dreamed big. I always thought it would be amazing to win state. I hadn’t got that far in any of my sports. Going to a supersectional was an amazing way to end it.

Welge: That Lyons game, how were you able to pull it together to beat a team of that caliber?

Roberts: I’ve played LT five or six times in my four years and they’ve always been a good side. Last year we had lost to them three times, two of them a one-goal difference with us having opportunities. We knew what they had but we also have a ton of playmakers. We knew if we could put the ball in dangerous spots we could finish. Gwen Johnson came up huge. We knew if we could get the game into PKs we were going to finish.

Welge: Besides the wins, what are you going to remember about this season and the last four years?

Roberts: My biggest thing is the seniors, nine of us, I’ve been playing with six of them since seventh grade. It’s been an awesome journey. We got our start together, whether it’s pasta parties or driving to practice I’m glad I’ve got to know them.

Welge: You’re going to Loyola for soccer. What are you going to study there?

Roberts: I think I’m going into psychology, hopefully be a sports psychologist.

Welge: What’s on your bucket list before you leave for college?

Roberts: Staying soccer-related, I’m still playing club soccer. My club team [Galaxy Soccer Club out of Naperville] qualified for nationals so I’m hoping to get a national title. And then I just want to spend as much time as I can with friends or family before I head off.