Seventeen-year-old Kelly O’Connor, a standout member of the Scorpions 2007 ECNL national team, is making headlines with her summer achievements. Kelly has been a part of the Scorpions family for over five years and has consistently played on Scorpions’ top ECNL teams.

After her stellar performances throughout 2023 and 2024, she was offered a spot to represent New England at the ECNL Girls Conference Cup in Chula Vista, California. As one of 120 top rising U16-U18 players in the league, Kelly flew across the country to represent New England.

During her time in California, Kelly scored three goals and provided one assist in her attacking role, placing her as the leading goal scorer on her team. In her interview, she shared, “I stood out on offense because of my aggressiveness and how I translated that onto the field.” She emphasized that this mindset is a crucial element of her success as an athlete.

Kelly acknowledges the competitive ECNL play and training environments that prepared her for this elite placement. Reflecting on her experiences with Scorpions, Kelly expressed, “The coaches, the trainings, the games… I feel that every moment I have had at Scorpions was geared towards helping me become the best version of myself. They are looking out for me as a person, not just a player.”

She also highlighted the high level of competition at the Conference Cup, stating, “This experience showed me just how many talented players there are in this league and in this game. It certainly will motivate me in the future because if you’re not putting in the effort, someone else is.”

Kelly’s teammates at Scorpions have had a significant impact on her growth. “All my teammates at Scorpions have had a significant impact on my growth because they always bring energy, always compete,” she said. “I think playing for Scorpions and then just overall playing in the ECNL has prepared me for it because there’s always gonna be intense players that put a lot of aggressiveness when defending you, so I feel like I was used to that part when I went into there because I was so used to it during the ECNL games.”

Kelly also shared some advice for other young athletes: “I would say just remember to have fun too because when you’re thinking about the game more as a job it can get kind of exhausting and you want to remember what you’re here for. You’re here because you love this sport and you don’t want to lose any of that spark when you’re playing. Just remember to have fun because even though we’re all putting in the work and it’s really hard, the reward is during the games, having those great moments with your teammates and you don’t want to lose that.”

Kelly’s journey is a shining example of dedication, passion, and the importance of a supportive team environment. We are incredibly proud of Kelly and look forward to seeing her continue to excel both on and off the field.