Despite loss of grand finale,
Weaver leaves legacy at New Trier
By Michael Wojtychiw
March, 2017, New Trier coach Jim Burnside stood and watched his team finish up its second week of practice at the Trevian Soccer Club’s indoor facility in Niles.
As practice came to an end, he said he had a freshman, Emma Weaver, who "has a chance to be really good."
It'd be fair to say that the Villanova-bound senior lived up to those standards, if not surpassed them. In three years on the varsity squad, all Weaver has done is helped lead the Trevians to two, state runnerup finishes, a third place state finish, earn All-American honors, collect Chicagoland Soccer’s Player of the Year honor and three All-State selections, and became only the second underclassman to win the Illinois Gatorade Player of the Year award.
"She is a kid and a player that she loves to play, and she loves the game of soccer, loves to play," Burnside said. "And she also has that sixth sense of knowing how to...I often compare the game to a game of chess and knowing when to move your pieces, when to draw somebody in, when to sit back.
"And she just has a natural sense of that. Some athletes have it. When they play the game, the game slows down, and they just see things in, you know, in, in a way that most other people don't. And she had that from first time I ever coached her."
Weaver's freshman season came after the Trevians won their third-straight state title and graduated field players like Chicagoland Soccer All-Staters Kelly Maday, Bina Saipi and Celia Frei, so opportunities to make an instant impact were there for her to take advantage of, even if she may have been a bit hesitant.
"It definitely was intimidating at first, but the team was very welcoming, which has made me more comfortable definitely on the field," Weaver said. "I was able to play my type of game and my style but also kind of fit into where they were playing those previous years on the level of play. Once I jumped into that, I was really comfortable and was able to kind of just ... not maneuver but just (know) how to be myself and see myself as a player.
"Burnside has been pushing me since I was a freshman. He believed in me. All the coaches, they definitely saw the potential that I could have as a freshman, which was definitely an honor. I was so honored that they would say those things about me, because I was so clueless at that time. I just remember being so clueless."
That changed impressively.
Weaver finished her junior season by either scoring or assisting on her squad's last 11 postseason goals, including all three the Trevians scored in the state semifinals and third place game.
Her 33 goals last season accounted for 52 percent of New Trier's scoring output and her 13 assists tied for the team high with Lily Conley.
She wasn't always a dominating scorer, however. Her sophomore year, she had 15 goals and 22 assists, including three assists in the Trevians' win over Andrew in the state semifinals.
That changed last year.
"When you have Nicole Kaspi beside you, you got to give her the ball. She's going to score," Weaver said. "When those players graduate, I felt like I had to sometimes take it upon myself. Not because the other players couldn't, but because sometimes I'd get so mad that we weren't scoring or it was tied or there was five minutes left, and we hadn't scored a goal. Just like that, and I would honestly just want to take it. But a lot of the times, the reason I distributed it is because I believed in my teammates.
"I distributed I remember to Alex Wirth in the Stevenson Supersectional final, when I was 1-v.-1. I'm like, 'You can do it, you can do it.' And then she scored. I feel like just believing in the other teammates too is also a part of it. But knowing when to take it yourself is also something that I have to remember."
Like many top players, Weaver had the chance to play soccer at the academy level throughout high school. That, however, meant that she would have missed playing for Burnside, New Trier and alongside her friends.
She played for a developmental academy team early in her high school career but decided to switch programs for her last three years so she could focus on the Trevians program and playing for her school.
"I wanted to play for Burnside. I wanted to continue on sophomore through senior year because I had committed to that," she said. "I had committed to Burnside and the rest of my teammates. And to be fair, I wanted to play for my school. It was such a different feeling, scoring and winning and being with girls that go to the same high school as you.
"I just craved New Trier soccer. I loved to play it, and I knew that after my freshman year. To just go back to academy just seemed like I would regret it. And I was scared if I didn't play high school that I would have that major regret."
Next year, Weaver will become the fourth Weaver sibling - of four - to play a Division I collegiate sport. Brother Logan plays soccer at Northwestern, sister Jessica played on DePaul's women's soccer team and older sister Claire played field hockey at Villanova.
The coronavirus pandemic canceled sports at New Trier, as well as every other high school team's spring season, but it didn't mean there wasn't high praise from her coach.
"Last year was one of the most dominant performances I've ever had in a player," he said. "She might've surprised me this year."
Emma Weaver didn't come into New Trier looking to leave a legacy, but she's left a mark on the program that will never be forgotten.
Weaver leaves legacy at New Trier
By Michael Wojtychiw
March, 2017, New Trier coach Jim Burnside stood and watched his team finish up its second week of practice at the Trevian Soccer Club’s indoor facility in Niles.
As practice came to an end, he said he had a freshman, Emma Weaver, who "has a chance to be really good."
It'd be fair to say that the Villanova-bound senior lived up to those standards, if not surpassed them. In three years on the varsity squad, all Weaver has done is helped lead the Trevians to two, state runnerup finishes, a third place state finish, earn All-American honors, collect Chicagoland Soccer’s Player of the Year honor and three All-State selections, and became only the second underclassman to win the Illinois Gatorade Player of the Year award.
"She is a kid and a player that she loves to play, and she loves the game of soccer, loves to play," Burnside said. "And she also has that sixth sense of knowing how to...I often compare the game to a game of chess and knowing when to move your pieces, when to draw somebody in, when to sit back.
"And she just has a natural sense of that. Some athletes have it. When they play the game, the game slows down, and they just see things in, you know, in, in a way that most other people don't. And she had that from first time I ever coached her."
Weaver's freshman season came after the Trevians won their third-straight state title and graduated field players like Chicagoland Soccer All-Staters Kelly Maday, Bina Saipi and Celia Frei, so opportunities to make an instant impact were there for her to take advantage of, even if she may have been a bit hesitant.
"It definitely was intimidating at first, but the team was very welcoming, which has made me more comfortable definitely on the field," Weaver said. "I was able to play my type of game and my style but also kind of fit into where they were playing those previous years on the level of play. Once I jumped into that, I was really comfortable and was able to kind of just ... not maneuver but just (know) how to be myself and see myself as a player.
"Burnside has been pushing me since I was a freshman. He believed in me. All the coaches, they definitely saw the potential that I could have as a freshman, which was definitely an honor. I was so honored that they would say those things about me, because I was so clueless at that time. I just remember being so clueless."
That changed impressively.
Weaver finished her junior season by either scoring or assisting on her squad's last 11 postseason goals, including all three the Trevians scored in the state semifinals and third place game.
Her 33 goals last season accounted for 52 percent of New Trier's scoring output and her 13 assists tied for the team high with Lily Conley.
She wasn't always a dominating scorer, however. Her sophomore year, she had 15 goals and 22 assists, including three assists in the Trevians' win over Andrew in the state semifinals.
That changed last year.
"When you have Nicole Kaspi beside you, you got to give her the ball. She's going to score," Weaver said. "When those players graduate, I felt like I had to sometimes take it upon myself. Not because the other players couldn't, but because sometimes I'd get so mad that we weren't scoring or it was tied or there was five minutes left, and we hadn't scored a goal. Just like that, and I would honestly just want to take it. But a lot of the times, the reason I distributed it is because I believed in my teammates.
"I distributed I remember to Alex Wirth in the Stevenson Supersectional final, when I was 1-v.-1. I'm like, 'You can do it, you can do it.' And then she scored. I feel like just believing in the other teammates too is also a part of it. But knowing when to take it yourself is also something that I have to remember."
Like many top players, Weaver had the chance to play soccer at the academy level throughout high school. That, however, meant that she would have missed playing for Burnside, New Trier and alongside her friends.
She played for a developmental academy team early in her high school career but decided to switch programs for her last three years so she could focus on the Trevians program and playing for her school.
"I wanted to play for Burnside. I wanted to continue on sophomore through senior year because I had committed to that," she said. "I had committed to Burnside and the rest of my teammates. And to be fair, I wanted to play for my school. It was such a different feeling, scoring and winning and being with girls that go to the same high school as you.
"I just craved New Trier soccer. I loved to play it, and I knew that after my freshman year. To just go back to academy just seemed like I would regret it. And I was scared if I didn't play high school that I would have that major regret."
Next year, Weaver will become the fourth Weaver sibling - of four - to play a Division I collegiate sport. Brother Logan plays soccer at Northwestern, sister Jessica played on DePaul's women's soccer team and older sister Claire played field hockey at Villanova.
The coronavirus pandemic canceled sports at New Trier, as well as every other high school team's spring season, but it didn't mean there wasn't high praise from her coach.
"Last year was one of the most dominant performances I've ever had in a player," he said. "She might've surprised me this year."
Emma Weaver didn't come into New Trier looking to leave a legacy, but she's left a mark on the program that will never be forgotten.