Eight years ago, Ryane Emory got her first experience watching Deerfield make a run at the Class 2A state title.
Emory is the third person in her family to play for the Warriors. Her two older sisters, Haley and Erin, were integral players on different teams that both reached the state tournament under coach Rich Grady.
“I feel like my whole soccer career has been watching my sisters work hard to do whatever they could to accomplish their goals,” Ryane Emory said. “I grew up around it. I definitely did feel pressure, but an exciting pressure. So finally after seeing so many games, almost all of their games, it was my turn.”
Indeed, Emory has done her part to put the Warriors in a good position for the 2A playoffs this season. The junior forward has nine goals and six assists for Deerfield (16-5-2), which is seeded second in the sectional it is hosting and will play 16th-seeded Northside in the Vernon Hills Regional semifinals on Tuesday.
Emory and senior forward Emily Fox, a Saint Louis recruit who has 26 goals and nine assists and is the program’s career leader with 99 goals, are a strong duo up front. Grady said Emory, a three-year starter, relies on her skill set and nonstop motor to be a key contributor.
“Ryane has a lot of versatility, and we have moved her into the midfield at times,” Grady said. “She’s got a great touch on the ball, has got good vision and is a really consistent player. When the other teams start to focus on Fox, she knows she’s going to have an opening to take advantage of.
“She’s a really solid, technical player with a good instinct for goals. She puts herself in really good positions and reads the game well.”
Haley Emory, who was a sophomore midfielder when Deerfield was the state runner-up in 2016, said Ryane’s ability to score makes her different.
“Ryane’s able to shoot and score goals that look impossible, and she’s also great under pressure,” Haley Emory said. “She’s able to stay calm and collected and make a play happen.”
Deerfield’s Holly Deutsch (15), Ryane Emory (13) and Emily Fox (8) celebrate Emory’s second goal during the Class 2A third-place game against Fenwick at North Central College’s Benedetti-Wehrli Stadium in Naperville on Saturday, June 4, 2022. (H. Rick Bamman / News-Sun)
Erin Emory was a senior midfielder when Deerfield finished third in 2022. Ryane Emory said that season remains special to her because she was able to play with her sister.
“It was one of the biggest highlights I’ve had in high school,” Ryane Emory said. “I had so much fun joking around with her and also playing soccer. I loved being around her friends.
“I was a little nervous because I knew the seniors for so long. Having my sister helped.”
Erin Emory recalled seeing Ryane dominate on the AYSO level when she was as young as 5 years old and said she held her own as a starter during her freshman season. Ryane Emory scored two goals during that third-place game.
“Even as a freshman, she stood her ground against the older girls and became a key player to the team’s success, which made me so proud of her,” Erin Emory said. “It was so much fun to be able to play with Ryane in the best soccer season of my career.”
Deerfield’s Ryane Emory (13) gets her foot on the ball as Warren’s Sofia Ogren (7) tries to control it during a game in Gurnee on Thursday, May 9, 2024. (Mark Ukena / News-Sun)
Grady said he has enjoyed coaching all three sisters and noted some differences among them.
“Haley was a more outgoing and effervescent type,” Grady said. “Erin was more serious. Ryane is a combination of sisters. She’s certainly got a goofy side. She can get locked in too.”
Ryane Emory was locked in during the offseason, hoping to pave the way for another playoff run.
“Every sibling wants to do better than the other,” she said. “I know I need to be better. I still remember my freshman year after our last game and seeing how emotional the seniors got, seeing them cry and also how excited they were. That gave me motivation to try to make my season as long as it can be.”
Bobby Narang is a freelance reporter.
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