Ashburn, Va. — Stone Bridge High School rising junior Emily Fox has made an early verbal commitment to play at the University of North Carolina starting in the 2017-2018 academic year, despite not playing for the Bulldogs her sophomore year.
“UNC has always been a dream school of mine since I was little,” the 5-foot-5 Fox said. “I chose UNC because of their commitment to developing their players to the next level and always challenging them to be better by tough competition all the time. Not only the soccer aspect of UNC made me want to go there, but [UNC] has a beautiful campus and also is great academically.”
[adrotate banner=”42”]The Division I Tar Heels women’s soccer team is coached by Anson Dorrance—entering his 36th season as the Tar Heels head coach in the fall—who had a huge impact on Fox committing to UNC.
“As coach Dorrance and the girls on the team began explaining to me all about UNC’s soccer program and what their team is all about, I could really picture myself going there,” Fox said. “When I watched one of their games I loved the type of possession style of soccer they played and how great the players chemistry was on and off the field.”
The Tar Heels had a very successful 2014 season, as they finished with a 14-4-2 record including a 9-0-1 record in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
“I can bring a strong work ethic and a ‘soccer junkie’ attitude to the team,” said Fox who plays forward for FC Virginia. “I always want to learn and get better as a player, and I have good pace in the game.”
Fox mentioned that the whole recruiting process is different for everyone, but is confident that North Carolina is the best place for her.
“For me, I visited all of the schools I was interested in and knew which school I wanted to go to, so it didn’t seem like a rush or too early,” Fox said.
Fox started playing soccer at the age of four and just fell in love with it right away.
“I can’t imagine it not being apart of my life,” Fox added. “What really motivates me is learning new techniques and playing against great players who help make me a better player. I hope to continue to the highest level of soccer and that keeps me focused on working harder to be the best I can be.”
