The Columbus North girls soccer team had some holes to fill entering this season following the losses of last year’s senior class.
Emily Ellis was the perfect fit for one of those roles.
Ellis has become one of the most versatile players on the Class 3A No. 8 Bull Dogs this season, and her boost could help them to another postseason run next month.
Ellis is no stranger to soccer and playing on the bigger stage. She played varsity for another top team in the state in Hamilton Southeastern her first three years of high school.
With HSE not being the right fit for her personally, she decided to make the transfer to North for her senior season. When making the move, she said that she didn’t know a lot of people from Columbus, but she mentioned her grandparents Glen and Shari Euler live close to North. Her mother Karen is a North graduate and played tennis for the Bull Dogs and went on to play at Butler.
“(My mom) absolutely loved her time here. I’m super-close with my parents and grandparents,” Ellis said. “For my senior year, I wanted to go somewhere where I could grow as an athlete and academically.”
Ellis wasn’t afraid to admit that she was extremely nervous heading into the new environment and being with another team. When she started meeting all her coaches and teammates, they all welcomed her with open arms.
“Coach (David) Young right away made it feel nice. He’s been such a good role model, not just in soccer, but he’ll ask me how my day was, or how my classes are going,” Ellis said. “I feel like I’m pretty outgoing, but by senior year, everyone usually has their own group. This wasn’t the case at North, everyone came up to me right away. They were super-welcoming and inviting me to everything. After the first practice, the girls made just going into school really easy and fun. I wake up, and I’m excited every day. It’s been great.”
When Ellis met her new Bull Dog teammates, one of them she was familiar with — Jenna Lang.
Ellis had known about Lang on the club circuit and have been competing against each other in their youth.
It wasn’t until Ellis was a freshman that her and Lang’s relationship grew closer when they played on the same club team, Indy Premier SC 03G Elite I. They played in the United States Youth Soccer National Championships in Florida in July, where they finished as the runner-up.
“Everything lined up, so when we got to this year, it wasn’t until senior night, we were like, ‘Who would have thought that we would have senior night together,’” Ellis said. “When we go to tournaments, our families stay together. Our families are really good friends, so she is like a sister to me. It’s been really good to have this with her.”
Once her senior year ends, Ellis won’t be done with soccer. Back in March, she made her commitment to continue her career at Ball State.
Academics was one of the biggest reasons Ellis chose Ball State. She wants to become an orthodontist and said that Ball State has one of the top undergraduate programs for dentistry.
Of course, having the opportunity to play Division I was also a goal for Ellis since she first began dribbling and kicking her first soccer ball at around 3 years old. She said it took a lot of hard work to get there and was glad it paid off.
“I started looking at Ball State, but then (the coaches) started watching me play at my old high school for one game, then they came and watched me play in club since Ball State was pretty close,” Ellis said. “They really liked me and asked me to go to camp, and that’s when I got to meet the coaches in person and the girls. I really fell in love with the coaches right away. I had a connection with the coaches, so that was great. The team was super-welcoming.”
Ellis has taken on some of the workload left behind from former center midfielder Lauryn Whitley. This season with the Bull Dogs, Ellis is third on the team with eight goals and second on the team with six assists.
Ellis also is getting better at gelling with her new teammates.
“It’s a big loss last year whenever Lauryn graduated, lots of assists and goals that left through graduation. It’s a nice surprise with Emily coming in. She’s a smart player, she’s very athletic, and very important for us,” Young said. “She already knew Jenna and had that chemistry, and then also just the ability for her to come in and want to have a better experience for herself.
“I think the big push for her is to make sure those relationships are built with her teammates, and from Day 1, she’s been great,” he added. “She’s built those relationships she’s made, and then they’ve grown from there. She’s starting to understand some movement off the ball, and she’s starting to understand what each player can do and we’re understanding what she can do, as well.”
Ellis and rest of the Bull Dogs have a big showdown matchup against 3A No. 5 Bloomington South tonight that’s a winner-take-all scenario for the Conference Indiana title. The kickoff is scheduled for around 7:30 p.m.
