On November 8, 2025, junior Emilie Cadigan announced her commitment to play Division 1 soccer at Duquesne University via Instagram.
With soccer being a staple in the Cadigan household, Cadigan has grown up with a soccer ball around her. Cadigan has an older brother and sister and a younger sister as well, who all play or have played soccer. She started out playing recreational soccer in Westfield before entering the travel program. After spending some time there, Cadigan then played for the Union County Football Club before moving to her current club, NJ Premier, where she has played for the past six years.
Cadigan is a dangerous offensive threat with no dropoff between her dominant and non-dominant foot. This gives her a tremendous advantage against her opponents, allowing her to glide effortlessly between both of her feet, easily putting defenders off balance. Cadigan also has a lethal nose for the goal and specializes in finding angles that very few people can convert goals out of. These attacking weapons Cadigan has in her back pocket are only some of the many attributes that separate her from the players she plays with.
Cadigan made the Varsity squad as a freshman and has been a key member ever since. She has spent her time under head coach Alex Schmidt and assistant coach Katie Wertheimer. Both marvel about the strides Emilie has made in her soccer abilities and the player she has developed into overall. Wertheimer said, “[Cadigan’s] confidence has grown over the years. She steps up in big moments and is not afraid to take those shots, and make them, when it really counts.” Schmidt added, “She’s got a quiet confidence where she looks unassuming until she rips a 30-yard shot into the upper 90 of the goal!”
Undoubtedly, throughout her soccer career, Emilie Cadigan’s biggest influence has been her sister, Ella Cadigan. The sisters have grown up honing their skills together, spending countless hours practicing together. They spent one year playing on the same team during Emilie Cadigan’s freshman year and Ella Cadigan’s senior year. Together, they brought home both a conference and sectional title. Ella is currently playing Division 1 soccer at LaSalle University, a highly competitive team in the Atlantic 10 conference. Now, with Emilie Cadigan joining the Atlantic 10 conference herself at Duquesne, the sisters and once teammates are embarking on a new chapter of their relationship: rivals.
Since her freshman year at WHS, Cadigan has made an immediate impact on the girls’ varsity soccer team. She primarily plays at the attacking midfield position, but bounces around occasionally to other offensive positions as well. Her versatility enables her to be a crucial asset to the team, regardless of her position on the pitch. Junior Georgia Morrelli was one of the three freshmen who made the team alongside Cadigan, she said, “Her knowledge of the game is impeccable and allows her to offer advice to the entire team. She is a great leader and teammate.”
Being that NJ Premier is a relatively smaller club team, it meant that Cadigan had to work especially hard to put herself on the map of college coaches. After attaining the interest of Duquesne, she realized it was exactly what she was looking for, being that it is a medium-sized city school. Cadigan is also planning to study biology, an excellent program at Duquesne. But what really set Duquesne apart from the rest was the coach, whom Cadigan said, “She believed in me more than any other college coach has, especially coming from a smaller club.”
