While she likely won’t ever suit up for her high school team, Seaforth freshman Cali O’Neill is already considered the top girls soccer player in Chatham County.
This past week, O’Neill was one of 24 players selected to attend the U-15 U.S. Women’s National Team’s training camp in Portland, Oregon. The camp — which takes place at Nike headquarters — began on Oct. 23 and runs through Oct. 30.
O’Neill is listed as a defender on the U.S. Youth National Team’s website. Her primary position is center back, though she has also played outside back, on the wing and at striker for her club team, the N.C. Courage Academy. O’Neill was one of two Courage Academy players to make the final training camp roster, along with midfielder Riley Kennedy of Holly Springs.
While a lot of the limelight in soccer goes to players in the midfield or at forward, O’Neill takes pride in her position at the heart of the defense, and notes that players on the back line do more than you think.
“The buildup starts from the defense,” O’Neill said. “They have to have patience and composure to know the right time to go forward and make the best decision.”
O’Neill will not play for Seaforth this spring, or likely any future seasons, because of conflicts with her club team’s training schedule. According to its website, the Courage Academy is a 10-month program that begins in August and wraps up in July after the end of the school year.
The freshman originally participated in the U-15 team’s Talent ID Camp in California back in early September. That camp featured 60 players, with the top talents earning a bid to the camp this week in Oregon.
O’Neill will keep quite busy with the team this week. Players start with training (practice) in the morning at 10:30 before taking a break for lunch at 1. Then, players start individual training before receiving treatment around 4 p.m. The final organized activity is a team meeting every night at 7.
“It’s hard to balance school and soccer, but any free time I have I work on school work,” O’Neill said. “After team training, we normally have some time before we go to lunch or dinner, so during that time period I’ve been getting some school work done.”
The U-15 team is coached by Katie Schoepfer, who played seven years of professional soccer in the United States before becoming a coach full-time. Schoepfer actually began working with academy players with the Boston Breakers during her time as a player for the team. She has also previously served as an assistant coach or the U-17 and U-20 U.S. Women’s National Teams and an assistant coach at two colleges — Boston University and Holy Cross.
Also on Schoepfer’s staff are three current/former professional players: Nicole Barnhart, Beverly Yanez and Kelly Sims. Barnhart most recently played goalie for the Washington Spirit in 2022, while Yanez played six seasons for the Seattle Reign and Sims played several years in England for club teams Arsenal and Reading.
While O’Neill has already garnered attention from the women’s national team, she will also be one of the most hotly-recruited athletes in Chatham County when teams can officially reach out to her.
According to NCAA rules, Division-I schools aren’t allowed to make first contact with a prospect until June 15 of her sophomore year, which won’t be until 2024.
O’Neill should have offers flooding her mail once that time comes. You can likely expect one of those will come from just down the road from the UNC women’s soccer team, which is widely regarded at the top program in the sport’s history with 23 national championships to its credit under head coach Anson Dorrance.
Sports Editor Jeremy Vernon can be reached at jeremy@chathamnr.com or on Twitter at @jbo_vernon.