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Seniors pick Dons over academy soccer

Seniors Casey Ocon (left), who has committed to Cal State Northridge, and Emali MacKinnon, who has committed to Utah, will try to bring another girls soccer championship to Cathedral Catholic.
Seniors Casey Ocon (left), who has committed to Cal State Northridge, and Emali MacKinnon, who has committed to Utah, will try to bring another girls soccer championship to Cathedral Catholic.
(Eduardo Contreras / San Diego Union-Tribune)
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Given a choice between the new U.S. Development Academy soccer program for girls or playing their senior season at Cathedral Catholic High, the decision was obvious to Emali MacKinnon and Casey Ocon.

The two, who have already made their college commitments, have opted to compete for the Dons in their graduating year, just like their older sisters who preceded them at the school.

“It’s my last year of high school soccer, and I knew that I wanted to play,” said MacKinnon, a forward bound for the University of Utah. “I have since I was a freshman, and it was the best decision.”

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Academy players have a season that runs a month longer than the typical club schedule. Rather than phase in the program for younger girls, academy teams were established for incoming seniors for a “one-and-done” season before heading to college.

Aside from academy soccer, players have the option of playing club soccer on another level, albeit without the most elite designation. Of the 10 All-San Diego Section players due back this season, eight are on academy teams this year.

“For me, I love club, but I also love high school,” said Ocon, a future Cal State Northridge player. “Knowing that I’m already going to college, I think that high school can still help me. Because this is my senior year, I wanted to stay with high school because I still have a club opportunity as well.”

Cathedral senior Katya Pourteymour also chose the preps instead of academy play. Otherwise, though, two seniors and five juniors picked academy soccer. Of the 14 Dons players due to return, only seven are back for the program that has won three San Diego Section championships and four Southern California Regional titles this decade.

“It’s definitely going to affect my team,” said Dons coach Dawn Lee, heading into her 20th season at the helm. “But we just have to roll with it, and that’s what we’re doing.”

In the absence of some, opportunity grows for others, particularly in the case of MacKinnon and Ocon.

“They are great kids and hard workers,” Lee said. “Hopefully, this year as seniors and leaders, they’ll step it up a little bit. I’ve given them a lot of responsibility for this year. It’ll be exciting to see how they grow into that position.”

MacKinnon played JV soccer at Torrey Pines as a freshman, but then transferred to Cathedral the next year to be with her sister, Crosby, then a senior who would go to the University of Idaho. While they often trained together, that was their one season as teammates.

“Playing together was really fun and memorable,” the younger sibling said. “It was one of the best times of my life.”

Ahead of high school, Emali also participated in club track, specializing in the 400-meter run while also doing the high jump. Now, to add to her senior year, she also plans to compete on the Dons track team for the first team next spring.

Ocon completes a line of soccer sisters in her family as well, including Mady, who played at the University of Louisiana at Monroe, and Ally, a Cathedral alum who just completed her senior season at USD.

“They were two of my biggest role models and I wanted to follow in their footsteps,” said Casey, a club defender who switches to forward for high school. “They both went to college for soccer, and that helped push me harder.”

MacKinnon and Ocon now look to step forward for the Dons, who lost in the Open Division quarterfinals to begin last season’s playoffs.

“I’ll try to score the most that I possibly can as a forward,” MacKinnon said. “Also, it’s being a team leader, being positive and getting everyone hyped up before the game, making sure everyone’s comfortable and having fun.”

Indeed, for these two seniors, it’s the right choice.

Thien is a freelance writer.

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