Rain poured down on Kennedy Roesch as she lined up for a penalty kick in the ECNL National Championship game for the San Diego Surf, one of her final touches before transitioning to the Division I level.
The freshman striker took her run in the water-slicked grass and buried a powerful effort above the goalkeeper’s grasp. She sprinted to celebrate with her teammates, including defender Tanna Schornstein, as her squad clinched club soccer’s highest honor.
“It was one of my favorite goals I’ve ever scored,” Roesch said. “It was one that I’ll probably never forget.”
About three weeks after hoisting the trophy in Seattle with the Surf, Roesch and Schornstein traded sunny California for the windy shores of Lake Michigan, joining Northwestern’s women’s soccer program in mid-July.
The two teammates have started all 14 games for the Wildcats, logging key minutes for the squad throughout its 2024 campaign. Roesch has scored a team-high five goals, while Schornstein has played 1,256 of the 1,260 minutes of games this season.
Roesch and Schornstein have lined up together for about seven years, primarily with the Surf. They both credit the program for bringing their skills to the collegiate level.
“The soccer knowledge that our club gave us, these abilities to do the simple things right and do them right every time, I think that’s huge,” Schornstein said.
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Roesch was four years old when she first laced up a pair of soccer cleats, playing in a local recreational league.
When a teammate’s grandfather saw Roesch, aged six, dribbling down the field with both feet, the grandfather encouraged Scott Roesch – Kennedy’s father – to sign her up for a local club team.
“She was able to use both feet naturally — you don’t see that from a lot of kids (that age), you’ve got to develop your weaker foot,” Scott Roesch said. “She’s always had this intensity about her and this real strong will to win, and we saw that really early.”
Kennedy Roesch spent two years with a local club team, Hotspurs USA, before joining the San Diego Surf, a 30-mile drive from her home. Scott Roesch said driving to practice would take 45 to 75 minutes, depending on rush-hour traffic.
“We didn’t know how this would pan out … so that’s honestly the reason we took her to Surf,” Scott Roesch said. “Let’s take her to the best club in San Diego, and she’s either gonna rise to the occasion or she’s going to fail. She’s proven to the occasion.”
During her nine-month club seasons, Kennedy Roesch traveled to the Surf’s Del Mar facility four days a week for 11 years.
Schornstein met her on the practice pitch about eight years ago. The two formed a bond through the long training shifts.
“She was really good, and we always had to play against each other,” Schornstein said. “We got closer as time went on.”
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Kennedy Roesch committed to NU on Oct. 3, 2022. Twenty days later, Schornstein committed to play for the ’Cats.
Before a Surf game, Schornstein informed Kennedy Roesch that she was joining her at NU.
“We’re about to warm up, and she goes, ‘Kenna, guess what? I committed,’” Kennedy Roesch said.
The two celebrated the coincidence of playing together for four more years more than 2,000 miles away from home.
Kennedy Roesch had wanted to play at Stanford all her life, Scott Roesch said.
The Roesch family prioritized academics and encouraged her to visit other schools before setting her sights on the Cardinal, but Scott Roesch said the decision ultimately fell to her. She picked NU.
“I wanted to get out of my comfort zone a little bit and try something different,” Kennedy Roesch said. “Northwestern academically is profound. But from a soccer standpoint, this is a program that is growing. It has the potential to be something. The coaches here, the people here and the culture here has so much potential. … I wanted to be a part of that.”
Schornstein echoed Roesch and said the academics the university offers weighed heavily on her decision to commit. She viewed herself as a good fit in head coach Michael Moynihan’s squad and bought into the ’Cats’ culture.
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When the pair moved onto campus and began going through training camp, Kennedy Roesch said she appreciated having Schornstein going through the process with her.
“We didn’t have much time off, so it was a quick change,” Kennedy Roesch said. “Leaving our families a bit, and not seeing them much while also transitioning quickly was a lot. I think having someone else (with me in the same boat) was probably the best-case scenario.”
Both players slotted into Moynihan’s starting XI for the season opener against Boston University. With NU’s top two scorers last year, Ella Hase and Meg Boade, transferring out of the program, Kennedy Roesch immediately filled the vacant striker role. Following the graduation of defender Danika Austin, Schornstein filled the gap in the back line.
Moynihan has featured freshmen players prominently in his starting lineup this season. According to NU Athletics, freshmen have accounted for more than a quarter of the total minutes played this season.
Against Boston, Kennedy Roesch made an instant impact, first assisting on a Caterina Regazzoni goal before scoring one of her own in the eventual 3-2 victory. Her five goals this year are the most by a ’Cat freshman since 2010.
Schornstein has been crucial in a defense that is conceding just one goal per game. Most of the ’Cats’ attack is built out of Schornstein’s spot on the right flank.
“I feel like I’ve just learned so much as both a person and a player,” Schornstein said. “(I’m) making sure that I’m just doing the best I possibly can, every moment I’m out there.”
Kennedy Roesch is focused on contributing to the NU offense as best she can.
“I love to score,” Kennedy Roesch said. “I feel like I have that hunger and desire to score, and honestly, I just want to do the best I can for my teammates. I want to win, too.”
With five regular-season games remaining, both Kennedy Roesch and Schornstein are looking to finish strongly and make a last-gasp push for the Big Ten Tournament.
“We have the optimism and confidence to turn it around.” Kennedy Roesch said. “It’s just one game at a time from here on out.”
Schornstein carries a similar mentality to her fellow California native.
“We have a couple of big games coming up in UCLA and USC. … hopefully (we’ll) have some huge upsets, which would be awesome,” Schornstein said. “(But I) just want to soak in every moment, enjoy it, and do the best that we can.”
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