Michelle Orelli Takes Root in World of College Soccer
Michelle Orelli’s first year in the world of college soccer has been an unqualified success. Just look at her stats: 15 games played, including five starts, tied for third on the team in goals, Rookie of the Week honors, a game winning goal. It all adds up for the former Huntington High School soccer great.
A 5’3 midfielder, Orelli scored a pair of goals and contributed an assist for Hartford, which compiled a 7-6-5 mark last fall. She’s also excelled academically, earning a spot on the Dean’s List and the America East Conference Honor Roll. To be eligible for the Scholar Athlete Award, a player must attain a minimum grade point average of 3.2 and be a starter or prominent reserve on their team.
One person who isn’t surprised by Orelli’s success in the college ranks is John Walsh, her coach at Huntington. He said that strong players on the field enhance Orelli’s game. “I knew Michelle would do well in college,” Walsh said. “The stronger the players around her are, the better she performs. She feeds off of them.”
The first goal of her collegiate career came when Orelli took a feed on the right wing and beat Harvard’s goalie to the far post in the Adidas/Hartford Fall Classic. The very next game, against Rider, she notched her first assist when she dribbled from the right side and drew out the goalie before firing a pass in front of the goal to her teammate who scored.
One of the highlights of Orelli’s freshman season came when she scored what proved to be the game winning goal in a victory over Binghamton University. The exciting play, 58 minutes into the game, saw her score on a header off a Hartford corner kick. The performance helped her win America East Rookie of the Week honors.
At Huntington High School, Orelli captained the soccer teams, grabbed All-County honors four times and was named to the All-State squad as both a junior and senior. She helped lead the Blue Devils to a pair of county titles and was named MVP of the Suffolk Class A finals. She was also All-League in track and field and played four years on the Huntington lacrosse team.
The daughter of Frank and Fran Orelli, the 19-year old budding college star carries a major in health sciences in Hartford’s College of Education, Nursing and Health Professions. She is planning for a career in physical therapy. The University of Hartford is located in West Hartford, Connecticut. It has an enrollment of 4,722 students.
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