Emma Pichl didn’t think playing Division I soccer was in her future. The Notre Dame star knew she was good enough to play at the next level, but maybe not at its highest.
“I never thought I was going to be up to that level in college,” she said. … “I always thought I was going to be a D-II player.”
That changed this summer when she attended Fairfield’s soccer camp in late July. Pichl fell in love with the school and they took a liking to her also. Stags coach Jim O’Brien contacted her and told her he thought she could play at the Division I level. Now that chance is a reality as Pichl verbally committed to the MAAC school this week. She is the first Division I athlete from the small Manhattan Catholic school and chose Fairfield over Bridgeport and St. Rose.
“I’ve been practicing on my travel team for so long because I wanted to play Division I soccer,” said Pichl, a two-time All-City selection by The Post. “I practiced and I play soccer all the time. I’m happy that it’s D-I and not D-II because D-I is every day, you practice and have games on the weekend.”
Her Division I potential was never in question for Notre Dame and Manhattan Kicker club team coach Mike Pfeffer. He saw her natural skills at an early age and said it was just a matter of her putting in the time, effort and practice. The 5-foot-7 Pichl, who will get a partial athletic scholarship, is currently going to personal development and strength training to get ready for her college season.
“She is just a gifted athlete,” Pfeffer said. “If she really wanted to play softball or basketball, she probably would have done that too.”
Instead she became a star on the pitch. She led Notre Dame to its first ever CHSAA Brooklyn/Queens final as a junior and went back to the semifinals this season. There may not have been one player in New York City who could influence the game more by herself. Pichl was the Dragons’ nearly impenetrable sweeper and also their leading scorer with 17 goals and seven assists. Pfeffer could move her to any position on the field, including goalkeeper, and her booming leg made her a threat to score from 30 to 40 yards out.
“I haven’t seen any college players hit the ball like she does,” Pfeffer said. “It’s pretty impressive.”
Pichl, who wants to major in communications, will join a Fairfield team that will be getting an infusion of 10 freshmen after an 8-9-3 season, including 4-3-2 in the MAAC. It could mean fighting for playing time in the back line even in her first season. O’Brien’s attacking style was one she was comfortable with as turning defense into quick offense is something she is all too familiar with.
“It’s a really good school academically and I have friends who go there and love it,” she said. “They loved the campus and the location is great to get back home.”
It wasn’t just O’Brien’s confidence that made Pichl a believer in her ability to compete at the highest level. The Kickers earned a chance to play for the National Presidents Cup over the summer and she was playing against some of the best players at different tournaments.
“When I went to the college showcases I started competing against more skilled players and I realized I could compete with them,” Pichl said.
For the next four years she will.
