Emily Harrigan is turning scoring for the Knights into a lifelong practice.
After wrapping up a standout career at Norwin High School in 2018 that saw the forward break the Knights school record for career goals with 93, Harrigan traded in her blue and gold for the Scarlet and Black of Rutgers University upon graduation.
Now, the former Pittsburgh Riverhounds Development Academy (RDA) star is picking up right where she left off in Piscataway, New Jersey. Harrigan scored her first career collegiate goal for the Scarlet Knights this past Sept. 5, splitting a pair of defenders in the penalty box and slotting home a perfectly placed strike just inside the far post to help propel her squad to a 4-1 win over Hofstra University.
For the redshirt freshman, the goal was the culmination of years of hard work and dedication dating back to her time with the RDA.
“Playing with the Riverhounds has definitely prepared me for where I’m at and where I was when I began playing Division I soccer,” Harrigan said. “When I got to Rutgers, I felt like I was right where I needed to be and right below the level of some of the girls who had already been there a few years.”
Harrigan first joined the RDA when she was 12 years old and immediately became an impact player for the 99-00 Girls squad, helping lead the team to the U-19 U.S. Club Soccer National Cup Championship in 2017.
Harrigan’s time with the RDA gave her exposure to professional-style soccer development while still allowing her to compete at the WPIAL level for Norwin. She graduated as one of the most accomplished players in program history, amassing an impressive trophy case that includes two Gatorade Player of the Year nominations, two All-State selections, four all-section selections, three All-WPIAL selections and a state championship in 2017.
“I stuck with the Riverhounds until I had to go to college. It’s just a great program all around,” Harrigan said. “The atmosphere is such a big part of it. They really emphasize professionalism, and I think that’s one thing that really stuck. Our coaches really pushed us to be our best.”
Harrigan’s first career tally for Rutgers was a long way from her roots in North Huntingdon, Pennsylvania, but despite the distance a familiar face was on hand to witness the moment: current Hofstra junior and former RDA member Sabrina Bryan.
Bryan started off her high school club career with a different organization, however she quickly realized the benefits of joining the RDA and soon made the switch.
“I was with a different club before, but then we discovered the Riverhounds and figured out how well they develop players and figured that was my best chance at getting a college scholarship,” Bryan said. “I was nervous at first, but all of the coaches were so inviting and they really helped me realize my potential.”
Bryan quickly gelled with her teammates, helping propel the RDA to the U16 Southeast Regional championship and spot in the US Club Soccer National Semifinals in 2015.
Her time with the Riverhounds combined with a superlative senior season at Canon-McMillan High School in 2015-16 that saw the attacker pot 17 goals and helped pave the way for her to join the college ranks.
Bryan became the first RDA alum to score a goal in the NCAA Tournament last season, burying two markers in a 4-1 win over Boston College in the first round.
“It’s really nice to have that,” Bryan said. “Being a member of just the second graduating class, it’s really nice to be able to have paved the way for the rest of the girls and set an example. You don’t have to just be good for the Riverhounds, you can be good in college too.”
Part of the success of the RDA is the high level of cohesion and chemistry that comes from playing together with the same group for so long. That familiarity can carry over to the college ranks, where former RDA players like Bryan and Harrigan suddenly find themselves competing against one another in an NCAA setting.
However, often times it manifests much earlier on. This was the case for Lexy Kendro, who did double duty with Harrigan as a teammate for both the RDA as well as at Norwin High School in their time in the Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League (WPIAL).
Now a sophomore at Duquesne University, Kendro played on a loaded RDA squad that featured another five of her Norwin teammates in her graduating class alone.
Playing with the same group of girls on essentially a year-round basis provided a stable development curve that allowed her to realize her full potential, which culminated with her committing to the Dukes in 2018.
“The way they go about things is so professional,” Kendro said. “I loved the transition from playing locally to coming here because it just felt so professional, and then for high school we had a couple of Riverhounds girls there too, so it helped a lot. We already had that connection between each other and we all knew how each other played. Just that chemistry together on and off the field just made us better and was a big reason we won a state championship.”
While the trio have all chosen different paths for playing at the collegiate level, it is clear that their time together training with the RDA is the common thread running through all three of their success stories.
“Our coaches just always pushed us to be our best in every way possible,” Harrigan said. “They don’t just push you to be the best at soccer, but to be the best you can off the field as well.”
