Naperville Central's Emma Russell makes connections on the field. More important are ones she makes off it.

Chicago Tribune

02-05-2025

Naperville Central's Emma Russell finds joy in helping others, so much so that she has decided to make a career of it.
The senior forward plans to major in psychology at Arkansas.
'I just really liked the class when I took it, and a lot of my friends have told me I'm the group therapist,' Russell said. 'I'm the one that kind of helps with people's issues, so I think it would be nice to carry that into my future.'
Russell, who will not play college soccer, said her interest in psychology is a fairly recent development.
'When I decided that I wasn't going to play soccer, I needed to figure out what to do,' she said. 'After I took the class, it really stuck with me. I think the brain is super interesting, everything that goes on in it.'
Psychology isn't merely academic for Russell, who is using what she has learned and applying it to her game.
'It just helps me keep my calm,' she said. 'I do get in my head a lot, but it's easy to kind of get out of it when I start thinking, 'Take deep breaths and realize it's just a game and it's fun.'
'I'm out here for fun. I'm not playing in college, so I'm just going out for my last hurrah, and this is my favorite team. We all connect with each other.'
That's true in different ways. Ohio State-bound senior forward Callie Tumilty, who is playing high school soccer for the first time, said Russell is warm and accepting.
'Being such a strong returning varsity player, she's definitely helped a lot of us through being comfortable, especially including the freshmen and even including me in things because I'm obviously newer to the team,' Tumilty said. 'She's very good at making everyone feel welcome, but also on the field keeping us structured, especially helping us out with the front line.'
Russell has six goals and three assists this season for the Redhawks, who beat Lincoln-Way East 4-1 in the Naperville Invitational quarterfinals at Memorial Stadium on Thursday.
Russell assisted on the first goal of the game, squeezing a perfect pass up the middle to Tumilty, who got a step on a defender and scored on a 20-yard shot to give the Redhawks (12-1-1) the early edge.
'That was awesome,' Tumilty said. 'She's very good at picking out who to play and just threading that needle.'
While most center forwards focus first on shooting, Russell likes to post up and pass the ball, often to Tumilty.
'I know that she's one of our fastest players, and she's really good at 1v1, so I saw that little gap that she had,' Russell said. 'I was scared that it was going to close, so I just wanted to slip it through the middle.'
Russell often is in the middle of things, as she was when sophomore midfielder Nicole Sacek gave the Redhawks a 2-0 lead against the Griffins (10-3-1).
'Part of it was Emma keeping that ball alive, throwing her body and not letting the defender get a clean service out,' Naperville Central coach Troy Adams said. 'That's what Emma does, and that determination is probably one of the best things about her as a player.'
Russell's efforts off the field are just as important. She has thought about becoming a school psychologist or opening a clinic.
'It would be fun to come back because I understand the issues of high school and the stress,' she said.
Social media, Russell noted, causes much of that stress.
'Because of Instagram and TikTok, I think a lot of teenage girls just compare themselves to other people, and that puts bad thoughts in your head,' Russell said. 'People just stay on their phone all day, so it's draining, and they don't go outside.
'It's such a different generation. Like my parents don't understand it. When they hear about problems, they're like, 'Why do you care?' and it's just hard.'
Russell hopes to be part of the solution one day. She's optimistic too.
'I think once people get out of high school, it will click, and they'll realize that high school is just drama and nothing that happens here matters,' she said. 'The memories matter, but the drama you're going to forget about the second you leave.'
Russell plans to make some incredible memories before she leaves.
'After last year when we lost in the supersectionals, the first thing we said was we're not doing this again,' she said. 'Ever since that game, it's just been in our heads that we're going to win state.
'I believe in it. We're one of the best teams in the state, and I think that we've shown it.'