South Carolina commit Shae O鈥橰ourke caps off historic St. Mary鈥檚 career
LANCASTER, N.Y. (BVM) — It鈥檚 easy to look at a Lancers鈥� box score and see the impact that Shae O鈥橰ourke has had throughout her time at the high school level. But St. Mary鈥檚 girls soccer coach Brittany Heist can sum up the senior鈥檚 importance in just a few words.
鈥淪he鈥檚 a program changer,鈥� Heist says.
The program鈥檚 all-time scoring leader has broken a handful of records in St. Mary鈥檚 history, capping off her senior season with a total of 322 career points. The star center forward has also racked up a list of accomplishments that include USA Today鈥檚 New York State Female Athlete of the Year and Gatorade New York鈥檚 Girls Soccer Player of the Year.
But with the individual success, her Lancers鈥� coach spotlights the impact that O鈥橰ourke has had off the field. After teammate Gabby Gambino went down with an injury prior to last season, O鈥橰ourke would have to handle missing one of the team鈥檚 key pieces in a COVID shortened season.聽
鈥淪he鈥檚 a very humble individual,鈥� Heist said. 鈥淓ver since her freshman season, she鈥檚 put up awesome stats. She鈥檚 kind of become a terror in the Western New York soccer high school market. [But] it鈥檚 not even how she plays on the field, it鈥檚 how she connects as she鈥檚 gotten older.聽聽
鈥淎s a senior, [she鈥檚 really] tied all the strings together making sure she left a stamp on what the training environment should look like, what the pregame and locker room environment should look like and just the way she makes player one to player 21 feel, whether they are playing or not. She does a really good job and is very unique in the way that she handles all the friendships with her teammates.鈥�
The transformation to becoming a leader has been something that O鈥橰ourke has had to focus on. It鈥檚 probably the biggest growth point she believes she鈥檚 had since her start at the school.
鈥淚 came in just wanting to join the team and be an outstanding freshman, and I think what really changed was my leadership,鈥� O鈥橰ourke said. 鈥淚 became a captain junior year so another step in my game was trying to not only be the best player I could be, but also the best leader. That was one of the biggest changes for me because, not only did I want to lead on the field but I wanted to [be a] leader off the field.鈥�
With her evolution, O鈥橰ourke has become one of the most complete players at the high school level. In her four seasons at St. Mary鈥檚, O鈥橰ourke has amassed 137 career goals, breaking the school鈥檚 record for most in a season as she topped 40 in her freshman campaign. She would go on to follow up her breakout performance with 36 goals as a sophomore and 39 goals as a junior.
In her senior season, the Lancers鈥� forward would unfortunately miss a third of the season with an ankle injury. Even after missing eight games, O’Rourke was able to leave her mark on the year, coming back just in time for Monsignor Martin playoffs. The senior found her groove quickly, helping lead the Lancers to a championship win over Nichols behind her hat trick.
鈥淚t was difficult because I would play and then it would hurt again and I was just very aggravated with it,鈥� O鈥橰ourke said. 鈥淏ut in the end, my team stuck it through and they got us to a really good place and then when I was able to play in the playoffs, everything just settled into place [and] we won a Monsignor Martin playoff so that was really big for our team. They did their job and it was exciting to play with them in the championship and win it.鈥�
The return was a special one for O鈥橰ourke who enjoyed the chance to get back out there with her teammates. Throughout her time at St. Mary鈥檚, a list of moments have added up and as her coach put it, there鈥檚 too many to just pick one. But for O鈥橰ourke, one specific memory comes to her mind first.
鈥淟ast year, I got my 100th goal in a playoff game,鈥� O鈥橰ourke said. 鈥淪o, that was really exciting and what made it such a surreal moment was my team was actually more [excited] for me than I was. Everyone just ran up to me and it was just the best moment I鈥檝e ever had I think.鈥�
As O鈥橰ourke closes the chapter on her career at St. Mary鈥檚, she will continue to fuel her passion for the game as she enters the next level. The Lancers鈥� senior signed her National Letter of Intent this month and is looking forward to her next opportunity at the University of South Carolina.
鈥淚 never thought I would go all the way down to the South but as I got on campus, I just immediately knew that it was the place for me,鈥� O鈥橰ourke said. 鈥淣ot only is it such an amazing campus, it鈥檚 in the south, beautiful weather, but what really gravitated me towards South Carolina was the coaches… they鈥檙e just super friendly people and not only do they want to win soccer games, they want to have fun with it.鈥�
Her St. Mary鈥檚 team will have two other seniors playing at the Division I level next season as Gabby Gambino heads to Clemson and .
鈥淚’m going to miss Coach Brittany Heist and all the girls because at St. Mary鈥檚, we just have such a good bond and not a lot of schools get that,鈥� O鈥橰ourke said. 鈥淲e were a good team so having both of those [elements] is going to be sad to leave. But, super exciting to see what all the girls can do and what all the seniors will go off and do as well.鈥�
