The successor to Melissa Barbieri in Box Hill United’s goal always appeared a poisoned chalice, given how the Pythagorus support had grown accustomed to enjoying a world-class keeper behind them for over a decade.
While there’s been plenty of keepers given a chance at Box Hill over that time – most notably Cassandra Dimovski – the official move of Barbieri to the back-room set-up meant their search for a long-term successor had begun.
So to see a such an expert display of shot-stopping from new number one Emily Shields in Box Hill’s narrow 2-1 win over Southern United on Saturday afternoon was a massive reassurance for those watching on.
However, not much was known about the American-born goalie – who made a string of impressive saves over the course of the afternoon – and what brought her firstly to Australia, but also to United to take on the challenge of replicating the feats of Barbieri.
“I followed a boy,” she said with a laugh.
“I met my now partner Tom in Boston and did a bit of back and forth – I came here, he went to the States. So when I finished my degree about four years ago, I moved here.”
“I played in my local home town of New York just recreationally and then played Premier League over there in the Under 18’s,” Shields added on her start in football.
“I got recruited to play in Boston University but a couple of weeks before I started, I was feeling really burned out and not loving football anymore. It was pretty sad to not love something that you’ve loved so much. So I took a couple years off and I moved [to Australia], where I joined State Three.
“I just wanted to play and have some fun, [but we also] worked our way up to State One and then slowly got the taste to play competitively again.”
The club she joined was Yarra Jets, home of former Boroondara Eagles midfielder Ash Callaghan who won two league best and fairests with the club.
She joined in 2011 where the club earned promotion to State League Two, where they consolidated the next season, but missed back-to-back promotions after falling in the Semi-Finals.
Taking the reign of vice captaincy for 2012, she helped oversee another two seasons of consolidation before they went up to State League One in 2014, finishing clear by 10 points on top of the ladder.
There, she enjoyed a stellar 2015 season – finishing equal sixth in the league’s best and fairest count – while her team finished comfortably in mid-table.
“It was an absolutely amazing group of girls [at Yarra Jets], I found them on Gumtree when I got here,” she said.
“I wanted to meet some people so I thought I’d play some football and I was so lucky to step into that team. We got a really good coach who stepped in midway through last season and like I said we worked our way from State Three to State One and played there.
“We were relatively competitive but it was a really fun atmosphere. I couldn’t have asked for more.”
Her time in Australia most importantly taught her to love football once more, which she believes allowed her to make the step up to the NPLW.
“It was really important to go back to playing for fun and take some pressure off,” Shields said.
“I’m just here to play and have fun, then fall in love with football again – that’s what pushed me to play. But as I said, we’d worked our way up so it was getting more competitive and [Box Hill] felt like a natural next step.”
The step up comes with the added pressure of stepping onto the throne of Barbieri, but Shields admits the Matildas legend’s advice has helped her adjust to life at Box Hill.
“It’s big shoes to fill and she’s amazing,” she said.
“[Barbieri] stayed on as assistant coach and having her at training to help me out and give me tips, it’s made the world of difference.
“Coming in today and having a strong game I think helps the girls trust me, and I feel confident that we can work together really well.
“It’s great to have a good debut.”
Image: Amanda Williams/Backline Photography