Emma Cox comes from a soccer family.
Her dad, Mountain View girls soccer coach Cameron Cox, played through college. Her grandfather played too.
The field was always familiar for her.
“It was something we were always involved in,” she said. “Kind of like a second home being on the field.”
It’s why each time the Mountain View senior and reigning 3A Greater St. Helens League player of the year laces up her cleats this season, it’s extra special for her and her father.
Cameron Cox first coached her when she was 6 years old. That was years before she was given the top honor in the 3A GSHL and helped Mountain View reach state for the first time in 20 years.
The bond they share goes far beyond that of a coach and player.
“Having that connection with him on the field is pretty nice,” Emma Cox said. “It’s not something a lot of players get to experience.”
Cameron Cox remembers her making an immediate impact on the varsity team as a freshman. He then relished the fact that he had four years of coaching his daughter.
But those four years flew by.
“It’s come real quick,” he said. “… For her mom and I, we’re trying to enjoy every moment. We’ve taken these last three years for granted and now that it’s her last year it’s come by so quick that it makes every moment bigger than it was before. I try and keep my emotions in check because I realize that this is her last year and I want to make it as enjoyable and positive as I can.”
Though she has the talent to pursue soccer after high school, Cox made up her mind years ago that she would be finished after her senior season. She told her father as much her freshman year.
Initially he was surprised. He thought she might change her mind as the years went on.
Growing up watching Mia Hamm, she’d think, “wow, I want to be like that. I want people to know who I am and see me play — to have people look up to you.”
But even as Cox progressed through her high school career and supplanted herself as a standout, her stance was firm.
And she’s at peace with her longstanding decision to hang up her competitive soccer boots.
“I know if I worked for that, I could get there,” she said. “But I have other dreams I want to pursue.”
Like many first semester seniors, Cox doesn’t know where she’s going to college. She’s broadly interested in the medical field and in environmental science, and knows she want to stay somewhat near home so she can be close to her younger brothers, and dog.
But at Mountain View, she will leave a legacy on the field. Last year, the team reached the state tournament for the first time in 20 years.
The 4-2 Thunder, who have six seniors, hope to be back in the postseason again this year. At this point of the season, Cox has five goals and three assists.
But her final season hasn’t come without obstacles.
She’s played the season with lingering pain stemming from a surgery to remove a mass in her right knee six months ago. She said the pain started over a year and a half ago. Doctors pinpointed the mass in her right knee, removed it and ended up needing to cut a tendon in the process, she said.
After surgery, getting back to playing shape was an uphill battle.
Cox takes ibuprofen before games and ices her knee afterwards to manage the pain.
Cox’s seemingly relaxed demeanor shows in how she plays the game, and handles herself off the field. Cameron Cox described her as someone who “leads by example.”
Emma agrees, though is quick to point out that she’s learned to yell on the field when she needs to get her point across.
She approaches playing through her knee soreness no differently, shrugging, “well, what else are you going to do?”
