EDWARDSVILLE - Senior Riley Chitwood, a solid defender for the girls soccer team at Edwardsville High, signed a letter of intent to play at Illinois College in Jacksonville this fall in a ceremony held at the school on Tuesday afternoon.
Chitwood will be playing for head coach Hunter Gray and the Blues, an NCAA Division-III school, in the Midwest Conference, and she's looking forward to the opportunity. Her reasons for signing on with IC were very simple.
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"It seemed like the best choice for me," Chitwood said in an interview that followed the ceremony, "and just a great school to go to, and a great program."
The small school atmosphere and the team's history also played factors in her decision.
"They're a really good team," Chitwood said, "and they come from a really good area that's very small, and I think I would like that more than a bigger school, necessarily."
Chitwood will bring very high qualities to the Blues' table this fall.
"I think that I can bring a good sense of defense to the team," Chitwood said, "and just be a great player to all of them, and hope to make a lot of friends and good teammates."
Tigers' assistant coach Jackie Harlin also feels that Chitwood will bring much to the Blues as well.
"She's going to be a player that is going to do anything she can to help that team," Harlin said. "We've learned that about her. She's invaluable in terms of she's a leader in the way she acts on and off the field, she's extremely coachable, she'll do whatever she can to get minutes there."
Harlin agreed that Chitwood will bring a solid work ethic and defense to IC's team as well.
"Absolutely," Harlin said. "She's a defensive back for me. The thing I love about Riley is that she wanted so badly to perform perfectly, and she's extremely coachable. And she learned that position. I've seen a huge difference in her style of play and her skill level in the last two years. It's actually amazing how far she's come. She's definitely come a long way, and I think that attributes to her hard work outside of the season from us."
Chitwood also considered local schools like Webster University in Webster Groves, Mo., and Lewis and Clark Community College in Godfrey, but felt they didn't have as much as Illinois College offered. She plans on majoring in occupational therapy, with designs on getting her bachelor's and master's degrees. She's looking forward to bonding with her new teammates and making a positive contribution to the Blues.
"Just be a great teammate, help them out," Chitwood said, "and hopefully, they can teach me a lot."
Chitwood was very disappointed that the 2020 season was cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic, as she was looking forward to playing the season.
"It was really disappointing, because I was looking forward to getting to play with my teammates in high school," Chitwood said, "and now, we have only one possible season left, so it's very different than club (soccer)."
Even so, Chitwood does feel optimistic that the 2021 season will be played, albeit in a different format than before.
"Pretty optimistic," Chitwood said. "It's looking like it's getting better, but hopefully, we can still be safe, and ensure we can have a safe season."
Harlin is feeling the same optimism about the season being played as well.
"I think the odds are good," Harlin said, "with it being an outside sport, with the numbers kind of tapering off here. Coach (Abby) Federmann and I are absolutely planning on coaching in this summer season."
Harlin is also looking forward to Chitwood's senior season, and what she'll bring to a young Tigers squad, especially defensively.
"I agree," Harlin said. "Riley's going to do whatever we ask her to do, so even if it's not defense where we need her for a couple of minutes, she's going to go out there and do her best. It's a shame she didn't get her junior year, because it leaves it kind of open where she'll fall. But we know she's going to be getting varsity minutes, she'll do whatever we ask of her, we know we have spots to fill, and she's definitely being looked at. I hope she's a solid member of that back line the whole season. It's just so hard to tell, because we haven't seen her play in almost two years now. But we want her in there.
"Riley's invaluable," Harlin continued. "She's one of those kids that you just have 100 percent trust with her, and she has the willingness to learn on a level that you don't normally get with other kids. She's super smart, solid family, and I know that Riley is going to be phenomenal in whatever field she chooses to go into."
As far as a favorite memory of playing for Edwardsville, it's the simple ones that Chitwood has.
"I made a lot of friends along the way, and it's great to see them at school," Chitwood said, "We had a lot of fun throughout the seasons."
And if there's a 2021 season, Chitwood has some specific goals in mind for herself and the Tigers.
"I just hope to improve my defense," Chitwood said, "and anywhere that they put me on the field, and being able to work with anyone of the field that's with me. Just move on with that, and become a better player overall."
