Girls Soccer MVP fills big shoes

Emme Ross had big shoes to fill for the Glynn Academ program, playing a vital role in bringing the team to the second round of the playoffs and earning her the 2022 Girls Soccer MVP award from The News.

Ross’ impact on the pitch was noticed by everyone who watched the Lady Terrors on the pitch. After playing all four years under head coach Tom Lemmon, Ross was ready to lead her senior season.

“Having his leadership and experience on the pitch has been a huge help and boost,” Lemmon said. “Especially for the younger girls to see his work ethic and everything. It just reverberated and everyone played as hard as they could for her.

Lemmon had known for some time that Ross would captain the team at some point, and after waiting his turn behind an incredible senior class, it was Ross’s turn.

“As a rookie, she showed a lot of leadership qualities and her ability to play and read the game really well,” Lemmon said. “I knew she would definitely be captain at some point.”

After opening the season 12-0, the Lady Terrors suffered their first regional defeat of the season, against Richmond Hill, since the 2016-17 season. Star forward Allana Antah suffered an injury during the season, forcing Lemmon to change his roster, with Ross front and center.

“Yeah, she was very versatile,” Lemmon said. “We could use her in midfield and when Allana went down we had to switch things up and put her in the false nine and outside as well.”

Never able to hear it on the pitch, Ross demonstrated it to her teammates through her actions.

“She’s not a very vocal girl,” Lemmon said. “She shows through her hard work and her ability to find players in the game.”

That hard work got her into position wherever Lemmon needed her, as she scored 28 goals and assisted 14 times in a 14-3 season.

Not seeing her dress in her number 14 jersey will be strange to many, as her game has demonstrated what it is to be a Lady Terror and to be successful as a player. For Lemmon, he knows that’s the beauty and the pain of coaching at the high school level.

“And that’s just it,” Lemmon said. “Players come and go, and you just hope to find one who can step in and fill the shoes of someone in front of them.”