On Thursday, Feb. 11, 2016, Council Rock South seniors Emily Discavage and Emily Wilkinson were recognized for signing letters of intent to continue their soccer careers at the collegiate level. To view photos of the event, please visit the Photo Gallery.
“They took two different routes to get to where they were,” assistant coach Nick Heim said. “They’re very different, and I think they complemented each other so well. They meant a lot to the underclassmen. It wasn’t the most successful season record-wise, and we had moments when we had a lot of kids injured and 
had some tough patches in the middle of the season. Our league is so grueling, and it’s a lot mentally on the underclassmen that aren’t used to it, so to have two seniors that are experienced, have been through it, have made deep runs in the playoffs, that’s massive for a program to be able to rely on them. It’s easy for the coaching staff when you have players who do the coaching on the field.
“It was just so nice to be able to have those two as the leaders this year, especially coming off a year where we graduated a lot. They were carrying the same amount of weight that we usually have six or seven seniors carrying, but they never shied away from it. They immediately took it upon themselves – this is our senior year, and we’re going to try to leave the program in a better spot than when we came in.
“We really can’t say enough about what these two meant to the program. It was unbelievable to watch them for the last four years. They really left a family-type mentality in the program. The team this past year was closer than it’s been the past five or six seasons. They were just tremendous leaders. Their quality of play was tremendous, but it’s what they brought off the field – what it means to be a student-athlete, what it means to be a leader – that we can’t coach. It’s sad to have both of them go because they’re both great assets to the program.”
Emily Discavage – Philadelphia University (Soccer)
Major: Physician’s Assistant
Reasons for choosing Philadelphia University: “Philadelphia University has an accelerated program for my major, and it is close enough that my parents can still watch me play. When I visited, the coach and I 
clicked, and I fell in love with the girls. It was a perfect match, and I just knew this would be my school.”
What was the progression that led you to playing soccer at the collegiate level? “I guess I started thinking about college soccer in about seventh grade because that was my brother’s junior year and he was being recruited by many schools. It was super helpful to have my brother go D1 because by the time I was getting looks, my mom and I knew how to handle the stressful process.”
Assistant coach Nick Heim says: “(Emily) Discavage really was our engine playing in the central midfield role, and if we needed her to, she could drop back to defense. She played defense for us the first few years of her career because we had a lot of upperclassmen ahead of her. She’s really a natural defensive-minded midfielder. She can distribute the ball really well. She’s got great size, and she’s dynamite in the air, so winning balls in the midfield, she was massive for us. She’s got a really good knack of getting forward when the time’s right. She doesn’t take too many chances, and when she does go forward, it created a lot for us.
“As a freshman, Discavage played jayvee for us, and she immediately made herself the leader of the jayvee team. It was one of those things – by the time she got her shot at varsity, she wasn’t going to let it go. As a coach, it’s nice to see that the program was working in that respect where you have a kid from jayvee come up and make a massive impact. In her junior year when we made that run into the state tournament, she was vital for us. Her senior year she was plagued with injury a little bit. She only played in about half of the league games, and she was still voted first team by the coaches. From another coach, that’s a really big compliment to a player. Obviously, we will compliment the players all we can, but for other teams to recognize that you’re a different team with someone on the field, that speaks volumes.
“She’s a natural leader. She’s vocal, and she’s very tough on herself, which gives her credibility to be the vocal one on the field. She wears her heart on her sleeve, and you know she’s there for the name on the front of the jersey, not the back. She’s just everything we look for in a player, and it’s been really nice to see that develop over the last few years.”
About Emily:
Favorite food: Chicken Nuggets
Favorite movie: She’s the Man
Emily Wilkinson – La Salle University (Soccer)
Major: Nutrition
Final list of colleges: La Salle, Temple, Villanova
Reasons for choosing La Salle: “My dad coaches the men’s soccer team at La Salle, so my whole life I would go down and play on the field and go to the basketball games. Whenever I go down, it feels like my 
home away from home. When I went on my visit, the team was full of the nicest people, and the coaches were great. It’s a great program and a great academic school. It’s everything I could have wanted.”
What was the progression that led you to playing soccer at the collegiate level? “I’ve been around college soccer my whole life, and I always thought it would be really cool if I could play someday. It was around eighth grade when I started to realize I could actually do it. I got on a serious club team, and around freshman year the recruiting process started. We went to a lot of tournaments and played a lot of games. It was a great time.”
Assistant coach Nick Heim says: “I don’t know if (Emily) Wilkinson started her first game as a freshman, but it was pretty soon into her freshman season that she found herself in a starting role, and it’s something she never let go. She has tremendous field vision. She’s one of the most technically gifted players I’ve ever 
coached. Her ability to see the field a couple steps ahead of most girls is what really makes her successful. She can see the play develop in her head before it develops on the field, and that’s something Kim (Francis) and I can’t force a player to be able to do. It’s just something that comes naturally.
“As much as Discavage was the vocal leader, Wilkinson is a little bit more reserved as a person, but she is actually the one – you see her, no matter what the score is, no matter how much time is left on the clock, she’s battling. When you see an upperclassman do that as an underclassman, it really sets the tone for what it means to be a part of this program. She is the kind of kid – she’s the first one at the field and one of the last ones to leave. She’s super critical of herself and not in a bad way but in a very good way. She could come off the field after just stringing 10 consecutive passes, and she’ll say, ‘Nick, what can I do that will make the team better?’ It’s never ‘What can I do that will make me better?’ It’s – what can I do to make the team better.”
About Emily:
Favorite food: Chicken Alfredo
Favorite movie: Remember the Titans
Favorite music: Any kind
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