For Pine-Richland’s Emme Kline, hard work pays off with commitment to Cincinnati

By: Jerin Steele
Sunday, September 15, 2024 | 11:01 AM

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Emme Kline has been playing soccer since she was 3 years old, and she’s always wanted to play college soccer, but that dream came into focus in 2020.

With the down time that came during the covid shutdowns that year, Kline spent a lot of time in her backyard practicing.

“My dad would take me out for about four hours a day during covid and I practiced with him,” Kline said. “We pretty much did that every day.”

Four years later, she can say she’ll be a college athlete.

Kline, a junior at Pine-Richland, committed to Cincinnati on Sept. 4.

She made a visit to Cincinnati in early August and was pleased with how it went.

“I really like all the coaches and when I went on my visit, I really liked all the players,” Kline said. “They were very nice.”

Kline also visited Michigan State.

Along with playing for the Pine-Richland girls soccer team, Kline is in the Pittsburgh Riverhounds Academy. She is on the Riverhounds ’08 ECNL team.

Over the summer, Kline travelled with the Riverhounds academy team to play in Florida, Texas, North Carolina and Washington and said she got a lot of playing time in front of college evaluators and coaches.

She mainly plays defensive midfield for her club team and attacking midfielder or striker for Pine-Richland. She said the Cincinnati coaches like her as a defensive midfielder but may move her around the midfield.

Kline comes from a family of soccer players, including her father and aunt.

She also has two younger sisters, including Charlie, her teammate at Pine-Richland.

Charlie, a freshman, had the game-winning assist for the Rams on a goal by Charlie Ozelski in a 1-0 victory at North Allegheny on Sept. 9.

It was the first time the Rams beat the Tigers since 2018.

Kline enjoys sharing the field with her younger sister.

“We both know how each other plays,” Kline said. “We’re able to play well together.”

Kline did not play for the Rams last year because she was out due to injury. In her return, she’s helped the team get off to a strong start under new coach Jordan Weigand.

Not only did the Rams beat North Allegheny, but they also topped three-time defending Class 3A state champ Moon in a nonsection game.

Pine-Richland had a 4-1 record and was unbeaten in section play with wins over Butler and North Allegheny entering a game against Seneca Valley on Sept. 11.

The strong start has put the Rams in a good position a year after missing the playoffs.

“It feels really good to be near the top this year as opposed to being near the bottom or just making the playoffs,” Kline said.

Jerin Steele is a freelance writer

Tags: Pine-Richland