“I always kinda had a competitive drive with the sport and always loved it…” said Robin.
Division 1 Commit, Robin Reilly, has been playing soccer since she was three years old. Her love for the sport has developed throughout the different stages of her soccer career, starting with little league soccer, moving on to travel, club, ECNL, and finally on to the collegiate level. Reilly has put in a lot of hard work, dedication, and time to get to this point, but a strong support system was also essential to her success. Throughout her career, she found the greatest support system in her sisters.
“My sisters are honestly like my biggest inspirations on and off the field. They are just great people and great teammates,” Robin said. Robin’s sisters Morgan and Regan are both Latrobe alumni. Morgan is currently a junior at Duquesne University studying to become a P.A. and Regan is in her freshman year, playing Division 1 soccer at Bowling Green, while studying nursing.
Robin had the opportunity to play with both of her sisters in high school. Her oldest sister, Morgan, graduated during Robin’s freshman year, but Robin had two more years with her other sister, Regan. This allowed the girls to push each other competitively and while Robin was looking into colleges, the chance to play with her sister again at Bowling Green didn’t slip her mind.
Robin said, “I would have loved to play with my sister for another four years. That’s just something that I know would be surreal.”
However, Robin ended up committing to a college 306.2 miles away from Regan. Out of all the high-level colleges she was looking at, only one immediately felt like it was where she was meant to be. On September 8, 2023, Robin announced her commitment to West Virginia University.
“After I visited West Virginia it was within I think two days where I knew I was ready to commit because I just knew that place would be my home,” said Robin.
If committing to play college soccer wasn’t enough for Robin, she’s also decided to graduate a semester early to head down to West Virginia. Robin has spent her whole life working for this opportunity, sacrificing time and experiences growing up. She feels as if one last sacrifice will be worth it with her future in mind and is ready to make the jump to the next level. She plans to take this time to acclimate to the college environment, learning to balance school and soccer at a higher level. Robin will begin training with the team in the spring, in hopes of leaving her mark on the team right away.
“That’s my big goal, to come into West Virginia and immediately be an impacting player,” Robin said.
Robin’s road to her next big accomplishment wasn’t easy. While athletes face obstacles in different forms, Robin has had to overcome a multitude, a majority of which were physical. She faced a handful of ankle injuries, requiring her to now don two ankle braces anytime she steps onto the field.
“I’m not the player I was before my injury or the person I was before my injury,” Robin said.
Robin took time away from soccer during the offseason between her junior and senior seasons to recover. While initially perceived as negative, the time off had proved to have its positives. Robin took this time away from the sport to remember what the game of soccer means to her. This reflection had only made her crave the feeling of being on the field even more.
“Being forced to take that break away from soccer only made me appreciate every second I spent on that field even more,” said Robin.
