New Trier Soccer Standout Emma Weaver Named All-American

WINNETKA, IL — A New Trier High School junior was the only soccer player from the North Shore, the only girls soccer player in Cook County and one of just two in Illinois to be named to an elite list of the nation's top high school players.

Emma Weaver, a forward and Villanova soccer recruit, was named Tuesday to the inaugural Allstate All-American high school soccer team. The 250 All-Americans include standout student-athletes from every state.

The same day as the list was announced, Weaver scored the game's lone goal in Northfield as New Trier defeated Glenbrook North and claimed their latest CSL-North title. Weaver's long-range strike 5 minutes into the second half was her 23rd goal of the season, Chicagoland Soccer reported.

Weaver's family moved to the North Shore from Hershey, Pennsylvania, when she was in elementary school, according to Winnetka Talk. Since then, her two older sisters have played college sports after their New Trier athletic careers, while her older brother expects to play soccer at Northwestern University after graduating this spring. She told Pioneer Press her elder siblings helped motivate her and shaped her on-field play.

In each of Weaver's first two seasons on New Trier's varsity squad, the Trevians have lost the state title to Barrington High School on finals decided by penalty kicks. New Trier had previously won the IHSA Class 3A state title for three consecutive seasons from 2014 to 2016.

In her freshman year, Weaver was selected for the the Illinois High School Coaches Association all-sectional team and in her sophomore year, she was named on the association's all-state team. Weaver scored 14 goals and had six assists as a freshman and scored 15 goals and led the team with 22 assists as a sophomore, according to Pioneer Press.

New Trier is scheduled to play the regional semifinal on May 14 at Maine West High School in Des Plaines against the winner of Friday's matchup between Taft and Schurz high schools of Chicago. Should they win, the Trevians would play a regional final May 17, followed by sectional semifinals and finals on May 21 and 24, respectively. The state quarterfinals, known as "super-sectionals," are scheduled for May 28 at Fremd High School in Palatine, followed by state semifinals and finals on consecutive days on May 31 and June 1, according to Illinois High School Association brackets.

The only other girl in the state to make the first-ever list of Allstate All-Americans was Tina Teik of Barrington. Five boys from Illinois were also selected for the list: Alex Canfield, of Crystal Lake South, Jahns Tucker of Kaneland High School, Ty Konrad of Naperville North, Noah Madrigal and Myles Sophanavong of Peoria Notre Dame, Alejandro Sanchez of Solorio Academy High School in Chicago.

In June, the top 40 male and female players among the list of All-Americans will be invited to the first Allstate Cup to be played July 31 in Orlando, Florida. The games will be aired on ESPNU and on the ESPN app, and the top 80 All-Americans will also be honored during halftime on the field that evening during the 2019 MLS All-Star Game, where a squad comprised of the top players in the U.S. men's league will take on Athletico Madrid.

The teams of elite high school athletes will be coached and mentored by former U.S. women's national team players and World Cup winners Brandi Chastain and Julie Foudy, along with U.S. men's national team members Taylor Twellman and Brian McBride, an Arlington Heights native who played for Buffalo Grove High School before going on to a successful professional career domestically and abroad.

"I am very familiar with the tremendous amount of focus, work and sacrifice it takes to be an elite player, especially at a young age, and how important it is to have the support of your soccer community," McBride said, announcing the Allstate All-American selection. "I look forward to encouraging these young players and coaching them through what is sure to be an incredible Allstate Cup experience."