Meet the Bulls

By day, Emily Russell is an exercise science major and a sweet-natured person, but behind all of this is a fierce competitive fire.

This fire and inner strength have spurred her to a breakout season as one of the major driving forces on the women's soccer team, for which she has 14 goals and 30 total points, both of which are currently tops in the Mid-American Conference.

The 21-year-old Averill Park, N.Y, native started playing soccer in the fifth grade, when she played in a weekend recreational league with her twin sister Devon.

"My parents encouraged us to be active when we were younger," Russell said. "They were both athletes, and I actually started out in a bowling league - I eventually moved up to soccer."

Emily's bowling high is a robust 196, by the way.

She attended high school at the Academy of the Holy Angels, where in addition to having a successful high school career in which she and Devon led their soccer team to a number of titles, Russell played for the basketball and softball teams. She was recruited to play soccer by a number of schools, including James Madison and Colgate, but she eventually chose to play at Buffalo.

Emily thinks the biggest difference between high school and collegiate soccer is the speed of play.

"If you can keep up with the game, it's very rewarding, especially knowing that you had to bring up your level of playing in order to compete," said Russell. "There's a transition phase, and you just have to be comfortable and confident, and I think that's the reason why I'm playing a lot better this year."

Bulls' head soccer coach, Jean-A Tassy, agrees with Russell.

"This year, Emily is enjoying herself more, and she's showing more composure and confidence when she has the ball," said Tassy. "Last year, she had about the same number of shots, but only had four goals to show for it. Now, I consider her to be one of the best strikers in the country."

Emily is a consummate team player, as she credits the strength of her game to her teammates.

"Being able to adapt to my teammates and play to their strength makes me play better," said Russell. "A lot of my success has come from the rest of the team, but I think there's always room for improvement. There are always faster, stronger players out there to compete with."

Because Emily is among the MAC leaders in most major offensive categories, she has received a substantial amount of national attention.

"You work so hard for something, it's not like my goal is to get recognition," said Russell. "I play because of my love for the sport, and because of my will to be competitive."

Before games, Russell likes to stay loose, and she doesn't have a set pre-game ritual.

"I just like to keep everyone loose and on their toes; I used to play pranks on the other players," said Russell.

Off the field, Emily leads a busy life. Aside from majoring in exercise science at UB, she likes to stay active, as she plays racquetball and softball. She also enjoys going out with friends, and she listens to a wide variety of music, including the Dave Mathews Band, the Dixie Chicks, A Tribe Called Quest and Keith Sweat. She also enjoys food and said she cooks a mean chicken parmesan but also likes Chinese food.

Emily said she wants to become a soccer coach when she gets older, but jokingly said she wouldn't turn down the opportunity to go pro.

As little free time as she has, Russell finds time to enjoy various television shows and movies, and her favorite shows include "Friends" and "CSI." Her favorite soccer player is Michelle Akers, and if she could date any celebrity, Jack Black would be her man, as she values a good sense of humor. Emily also plays a good game of darts - beating out a certain reporter from The Spectrum at 'Cricket' five times in a row.

Show your support for Emily and the rest of the women's soccer team at their next home game at 6 p.m. Friday, Oct. 24 as UB faces off against Kent State in RAC field.