SLIPPERY ROCK — Emily Grabb doesn't mind the pressure of being the last line of defense.

Or the obscurity of one of the most thankless jobs in all of sports.

As a center-back for the Slippery Rock High girls soccer team, Grabb's job was simple and largely unsung.

Keep the opponent from threatening the goal.

She was quite good at it.

“I love it,” Grabb said. “You can see the whole field back there. There is a lot of pressure on you, but I like that. I like being the last line of defense. We don't get a lot of attention, but that's just part of the sport. I play for my teammates.”

Luckily for Grabb, college coaches noticed her skill. Several schools clamored for her to join their programs next season.

But Clarion University won out.

Grabb signed her national letter of intent to play for the Golden Eagles Wednesday.

The senior was unsure of her plans before Clarion came calling.

“I went to a lot of different camps and talked to a lot of coaches,” Grabb said. “But Clarion was my main choice and I happened to get an offer. It was great. I love it up there.”

Clarion coach Sean Esterhuizen was also enamored with Grabb.

“What attracted us to Emily was of course her talent as a center-back, but even more important, what her coaches said of her,” Esterhuizen said. “We kept hearing how coachable she was, and that she had a great work ethic and was liked and respected by her peers. Then we observed her interacting with teammates at our summer soccer camp, and we were sold.”

Grabb is considered one of the best defensive players in the western Pennyslvania recruiting class, Esterhuizen said.

“Emily is going to play a huge role for us over the next four years,” he said.

Grabb began playing soccer at the age of 5 and began playing club when she was 10.

She began her high school career at Butler, but the family moved to Slippery Rock before her junior season.

Her transition to a new school was made easier because of soccer.

“I adjusted pretty well,” Grabb said. “I knew a few Slippery Rock players from playing soccer and we had two weeks of preseason, so I got to know the whole team and we became really good friends.”

Grabb is already preparing for the rigors of college soccer.

She spends several days a week in the weight room to get stronger and even in the winter months, she tries to touch a soccer ball as much as possible.

“I definitely need to improve my cardio,” Grabb said, laughing.

Grabb said she is fortunate to get a college scholarship at a Division II school.

“I wanted to play Division II soccer,” Grabb said. “But I wanted to play soccer in college no matter what.”