Raftery joins Rufus the Bobcat at Ohio University

Starting next fall, senior Maddie Raftery will be continuing her academic pursuits and soccer career at the University of Ohio. 

When she committed back in December, Raftery had only played at DGS for one year. Before that she played soccer on her club team during freshman and sophomore years. By doing so she was exposed to more schools, and more opportunities as a soccer player. 

When asked about where Ohio University was in her rankings of schools, Raftery said Ohio was at the top. She first visited the school her sophomore year, and the campus really felt like home to her. 

“The campus was beautiful, it really felt like home when I first got a tour, everyone was so nice and friendly,” Raftery said. 

At the time of committing she didn’t know what she wanted to major in but she had an interest in special education. Luckily, the university just built a brand new special education building during this time.

The university also brought Raftery a former teammate’s sister who also happens to play soccer. 

“It will be really cool to have someone to look up to,” Raftery said. 

One of Raftery’s biggest influences is someone that has been there from the start, her father. 

“He was the one that started all this for, he was my first park district coach and was the one who got me into club soccer. To this day he still is my biggest influence because of the support,” Raferty said.

As an incoming freshman, there can be a lot of butterflies, but Raftery is looking forward to a hardworking season. She plans to play a lot faster, because she’s at the college level.

“I see myself training really hard and continue growing as an athlete, competing in a bigger environment,” Raftery said. 

Playing a sport in college a difficult task that takes hard work and dedication. Playing at the Division I level can make it even harder.

But as a forward, Raftery is focusing on scoring, training really hard, bringing confidence to the team and continuing to grow as an athlete while succeeding in a more competitive environment.