Emily Houck '22 Recruiting Profile

NCAA ID: 2108302783

HELLO! My name is Emily Houck and I am a graduate transfer (playing Forward/Outside Mid) and previously a collegiate track short sprinter at Central Washington University (100m, 200m, 400m.) As a current senior at GCU, I play on the varsity club soccer team as an outside mid and center forward. I am looking for post-graduate opportunities for the fall of 2025 after I graduate in April 2025 with a BS in Entrepreneurship. I have 3 years of eligibility remaining and am free to be in contact with coaches due to being outside of the transfer portal. I am ideally looking for a school with an MBA program that I could start in 2025 while also continuing my soccer career.

I am a competitor. Despite my shorter height, I am quick (a short sprinter) and have the endurance needed to maintain a competitive intensity. I will complement any program looking for an athlete who will work for the success of the team, not just for themselves. Thank you for taking the time to review my information, and I hope to hear from you to learn about your program's goals and how I could possibly be a part of that journey!

Soccer Statement:

My greatest on-the-field strengths are physicality, communication, and versatility. I am an avid communicator on the field and usually am the one calling my teammates to join an attack, slide into our defensive formation, or adjust to an overloaded attack as it forms. I’m known for vision and encouragement.

My coach commonly starts me as a right-wing, however, I usually end up playing left wing at least once a game and am also able to play any forward position, especially as a formation adjusts, overlaps and supports during a match.  Regardless of where I may be in the lineup, one of my main roles is taking corner kicks, targeting either the penalty mark, the six, or the back post. I am not the type of player to try to move through an entire defensive line with footwork but rather look for combination plays with my center mids and outside backs. 

Established by my soccer coaches and enhanced by my experience as a varsity track sprinter, I have very intentional running mechanics characterized by explosive acceleration. This allows me to get to a play faster than the opposition typically expects.  Once there, I am not afraid of physicality, and despite being one of the shortest girls on my team, I am one of the most aggressive. If I lose the ball I will immediately fight to win it back, and I can often steal balls and intercept passes others don’t expect me to reach.

Outside of the points mentioned above, one of my most intangible attributes is the energy I bring to a team, especially when we are not playing our game. By acknowledging what I need to fix and doing so at max effort, I try to lead by example and provide the energy for the rest of the team to rally back together under that effort.