Gray steps into the spotlight for Washington Twp.
Before this season, Emily Gray flew a bit under the radar. "Everything she did," said her coach, Bill Alvaro, "was quiet."
Before this season, Emily Gray flew a bit under the radar.
"Everything she did," said her coach, Bill Alvaro, "was quiet."
It's an unlikely narrative for a physically gifted player who committed to Virginia Tech before her sophomore year.
But such is life in the Olympic Conference American division - easily the toughest girls' soccer division in the state.
Even on her own Washington Township team, Gray played the unsung hero last year in the face of gaudy scoring totals by teammate Kylie D'Ambra - now playing at St. Joseph's University.
But by the third game of this season, all of that had changed.
Gray, a junior midfielder, sparked her team to wins over Lenape and Shawnee in two of the first three games.
It's hard to think of a louder statement to make this early in a season - and an opportunity to knock off two perennial state powers in a three-game span can only happen in the Olympic American.
"It was really just a great way to start the season," said Gray, who has six goals and four assists for the 4-1 Minutemaids, now ranked No. 2 in the Inquirer's Top 10.
Alvaro was hoping Gray would spend more time in the spotlight this season and become a leader on and off the field.
It's something Gray is embracing.
"One thing I've worked on coming into this season is being a little bit more selfish with my opportunities," said Gray, who led Washington Township with 14 assists last year. "This year, I know I have to score more goals. And I feel like I have to cover more ground. But for me, it's OK, because I feel like it's something I'm capable of doing."
Most have their own, unique formula for surviving in the Olympic American.
Some players preach tough, physical play.
Gray points to endurance.
She prides herself on her fitness, an especially important trait when opportunities are hard to come by.
"Even in the Lenape game, I didn't get the ball a whole lot," Gray said. "But I had to keep fighting. I was able to get a goal because I was able to create quality chances with the opportunities I had."
After scoring a goal in a 2-1 win over Lenape, Gray netted a hat trick in a 4-0 win over Seneca before recording a goal and an assist in a 2-1 win over Shawnee, last year's South Jersey Group 4 champion. In a sign of just how tough its schedule is, Washington Township's only loss came in its fourth game, to Eastern, another perennial power that features the state's premier offensive weapon, Amirah Ali.
"Playing in the Olympic American, you're going to see the best players, and we love it," Alvaro said. "It just gives different players on our team the opportunity to step up and be leaders. And Emily's done that.
"She's done a great job of helping to lead us through a rough four-game stretch to open the season."
Gray said she has been inspired by the success of the Washington Township boys' soccer team - the two-time defending state Group 4 champion.
She said it has helped teach her what it takes to be consistent, to defend your home field. It has helped teach her how to handle the spotlight.
For Gray, these are valuable lessons. And it's a level of success she sees as attainable for her own team.
"I'm a true believer in hard work and effort," Gray said. "For sure, I think we can win whatever we set our minds to this year. We just have to play hard every minute of every game."