On Sept. 7, Georgia Morrelli announced her commitment to play collegiate soccer and further her academic career at Manhattan University via Instagram.
Morrelli grew up playing club soccer prior to her high school years at the club Player Development Academy (PDA), and it has been a lifelong dream of hers to play high-level college soccer. Through PDA, she has been coached under some of her most influential coaches, who have largely contributed to the player she has become today.
Morrelli has suffered a tough break with injuries, causing her to miss both her freshman and junior years of soccer at WHS. However, during her sophomore year, her contributions both on and off the field helped lead the 2024 team to win the Group 4 State Championship.
Alongside Morrelli is senior goalkeeper Sofia Buoscio, who notes that Morrelli’s impact on the team is absolutely invaluable. Buoscio said, “Georgia is the type of player that everyone else strives to be like. She is the hardest and most dedicated worker that I know.”
Morrelli is a tenacious striker whose presence on the field is felt not only in the attack but also throughout the other two lines. Morrelli has never shied away from a big tackle and is an unwavering source of passion and drive that undoubtedly raises the level of the team surrounding her.
Given that Morrelli is a disciplined, academically inclined student, in addition to her soccer prowess, she was seeking a school that was not only competitive athletically but also academically challenging. She plans to major in business, which narrowed her search when it came to the colleges she was considering. Morrelli said, “Every school I went to, I would compare and contrast based on different categories. The girls of the team, the atmosphere, the coaching staff, the academics, the students who went there, their business program and the geographical location.”
Head coach of the WHS girls soccer team Alex Schmidt has worked with Morrelli for three years now and has seen immense growth and development throughout her time. He looks forward to her senior year and said, “She’s fearless going into 50/50 challenges, which makes her a dangerous striker.”
Another admirable quality about Morrelli is her mindset. For most people, tearing an ACL in the height of their recruiting process is an automatic loss of hope or even a devastating end to their athletic career, but not for Morrelli. Although she had her initial doubts with the path of her recruiting process when she fell injured, she persevered and did everything she could to showcase herself and the player she is to numerous college coaches. Morrelli said, “I think my staying positive and trusting the process is what made me find the perfect school for me. I am very grateful to the Manhattan coaching staff that believed in me and my ability on the field to give me this opportunity to pursue my dreams even through this injury.”
