Shannon McGinnis was used to playing in big games against top-level competition before she even stepped foot on Saint Francis University’s campus. She was an all-state soccer player her senior year in 2014 at Emmaus, and played in the girls high school All-America soccer game.

Then, during the summer before her freshman season, McGinnis competed in the Women’s Premier Soccer League, which had rosters littered with college players.

That experience, and her natural talent, helped her onto the field in her first year in the Red Flash program.

“I had the great opportunity of being able to contribute to my team as a freshman last year as well as this year as a center defender,” said McGinnis. “I was very thankful for the opportunity, however I knew that with that opportunity came hard work, and I must continue to put in the effort and earn my spot on the field every day at training.

“The summer before my freshman season I played for the Buxmont Torch in the Women’s Premier Soccer League. There, I had the opportunity to play with and against college-level players to help prepare me for what I was going to experience in the upcoming months.”

The hard work and experience paid off. As a freshman during the fall of 2015, the Emmaus High School alum made 15 starts and played in all 19 games. She was named to the Northeast Conference All-Rookie Team, All-Northeast Conference Second Team, NEC All-Tournament Team, and the NEC Rookie of the Week in the middle of October.

“As a freshman, I was very humbled to receive this recognition,” said McGinnis. “However, I couldn’t have done it without the support of my teammates and coaches. Every day at training, I was pushed to become a better player than I was the day before.”

The Saint Francis women’s soccer program pushed each other to get better during the offseason and it paid off.

After ending 2015 with a 4-13-2 record, the Red Flash finished 2016 with a 10-12 mark overall and a 6-2 conference record while winning its third NEC title in the last seven years by beating Central Connecticut State 2-0 on November 6.

“There is no way to put into words the feeling you get as you hold up that conference championship trophy and earn a bid to the NCAA Tournament,” McGinnis added. “It was so rewarding to see the progress our team had made from the start of preseason to the championship game. My teammates and I have spent countless hours both on and off the field training in order to win that championship. Now, we have set new goals for ourselves and we must continue to work hard in order to achieve the goals we have set for ourselves for next season.”

At Emmaus, McGinnis was a member of the First-Team All-Lehigh Valley Conference, an LVC-Scholar Athlete, a member of both the National Honor Society and Spanish National Honor Society, and the Principal’s Honor Roll.

“Emmaus certainly prepared me well both in the classroom as well as on the soccer field,” McGinnis said. “While at Emmaus, I had the great opportunity of having Rob Rooney as both my high school and club soccer coach. He believes in me as a player, and has provided me with the level of training and competition necessary in order to play at the Division I college level.

“Academically, the courses I took at Emmaus helped prepare me for the demand of college academics. In high school, I learned how to be more independent as a student. Also, being a student-athlete in high school has certainly proven its benefits in college. By learning how to manage my time in high school, I was able to cope with the demands here at SFU and be able to succeed both academically and athletically.”

McGinnis is majoring in public health and is planning to continue her education in nutrition and dietetics after graduation. She plans to become a registered dietitian. She has two more years of eligibility on the soccer field.