At long last, Emma Amberg is fully healthy and ready to end her Lemont soccer career in style.
As a freshman in 2021, Amberg scored a team-best 15 goals, but she tore an ACL in a regional championship game. After missing most of her sophomore season, she returned only to suffer a double hip fracture that sidelined her again, impacting her junior year.
Now a senior forward, Amberg is back with a new appreciation for the game.
“Now, I really know what my passion is for soccer,” Amberg said. “When you get it taken away from you for almost a year with the ACL, plus another half of a year with my hip fractures, you really find out how much you miss it when it’s gone.
“You want to get back out there and play every single second. Every time I step out onto the field now, I’m here to win and I’m here to play for my team.”
Amberg is playing at quite a high level too. She recorded a hat trick Thursday night, lifting host Lemont to a 4-0 win over Reavis in a South Suburban Conference crossover game.
Eastern Illinois recruit Casey Kittridge also scored for Lemont (9-3, 4-0 SSC Blue). Daria Koslosky and Western Michigan recruit Ella Simpson each had an assist, while Lauren Tracy recorded the shutout.
Delyanna Arocho made five saves for Reavis (6-7-1, 4-2 SSC Red).
For Amberg, who is committed to compete on the soccer and track teams at Carthage, having a huge night on her home field made her feel like everything had come full circle.
Lemont’s Ella Simpson, left, and Reavis’ Marlene Gutierrez battle for the ball during a South Suburban Conference crossover game in Lemont on Thursday, April 18, 2024. (James C. Svehla / Daily Southtown)
“I tore my ACL here on this field, and now that I’m back here and scoring hat tricks and I’m all the way back from my injuries, it’s one of the best feelings ever,” Amberg said. “It’s senior year and I’m like, ‘This is my time.’”
Lemont coach Rick Prangen is also thrilled to see Amberg back at full force.
“She worked her butt off to get back, and she’s finally healthy,” Prangen said. “She was a good player as a freshman, and this is what you want to see as a senior. She’s probably been our most consistent player this year. She’s doing an awesome job.”
Amberg, who scored 16 goals and dished out 14 assists last year despite missing the start of the season while recovering from her hip fractures, is up to nine goals this spring.
“Coming back from those injuries is one of the hardest things I’ve ever gone through,” Amberg said. “It’s amazing to be able to make a big impact for my team again.”
Lemont’s Chase Bergeson (7) heads the ball near the net against Reavis during a South Suburban Conference crossover game in Lemont on Thursday, April 18, 2024. (James C. Svehla / Daily Southtown)
Amberg scored twice in the first half Thursday and completed her hat trick midway through the second half.
It was Amberg’s third goal that most impressed Kittridge.
“I loved her left-footed goal,” Kittridge said. “Earlier in the game, I heard their coach go, ‘Oh, she’s right-footed. Keep her on her right foot.’ I was like, ‘Emma, you’ve got to score with your left foot.’
“When she scored that, I was yelling, ‘She’s got a left foot.’ That was really fun.”
Lemont Casey Kittridge, left, shields the ball from Reavis’ Jasmine Juache during a South Suburban Conference crossover game in Lemont on Thursday, April 18, 2024. (James C. Svehla / Daily Southtown)
Kittridge scored Lemont’s other goal on a header off Simpson’s corner kick.
Kittridge also helped lead a dominant defensive effort that held Reavis without a shot on goal.
Amberg, meanwhile, is not just making her mark as a player. She has also gotten into coaching, working with the middle school teams at First Nazarene in Lemont.
She even coached three of her current teammates, who are now freshmen.
“When I saw them come to tryouts, I was like, ‘You guys are on my team now?’” Amberg said. “It was one of the craziest things. There’s something about me being able to coach girls who are going to make an impact for Lemont beyond my four years here.
“That’s pretty special to me.”
