Emily DeOliveira's journey back to the soccer field hasn't been like most players.

DeOliveira, a 2011 graduate of Salisbury High School, tore her right ACL in the first game of her senior high school season, forcing her to miss the entire campaign.

But after months of rehabilitation and recovery, DeOliveira, a junior defender on the DeSales University women's soccer team that just completed the 2013 season, is back on the field making an impact.

"It was pretty difficult in the beginning just because I had surgery, and I was out for six months for my recovery," DeOliveira said. "My muscles in my entire leg were extremely weak, so I had to build up my strength."

Soccer was something she wasn't ready to give up just yet. That led her to push herself to the point where she had an opportunity to play at the collegiate level.

"Soccer is a really big passion in my life," DeOliveira said. "It was important to me to get my leg back where I needed to be, and to keep training hard to be able to play again."

DeOliveira saw plenty of time at midfield as a freshman and sophomore, but under first-year head coach Heather Kemp, she moved to a defender spot where she has thrived for the Bulldogs.

She played defense for her club team Lehigh Valley United, and was always willing to play wherever Kemp needed her on the field.

"I guess we really didn't have the numbers on defense," DeOliveira said. "I took it upon myself to change positions to where the team needed me, and where we could benefit.

"The most difficult part was that I was put on the left side. I really had to improve my left foot. After practice, I would always stay and do long balls with my left foot and skills with my left foot just so I could keep up."

DeOliveira has started all 18 games on the season, and has totaled 1,461 minutes of game time for the Bulldogs, which is fourth-best on the team. Along with Melissa Pugliese, Lydia Younger and Esther Younger, she has been one of the main pieces of the Bulldogs' line of defense.

She has played 70 minutes or more in 15 games, and tallied 110-minute efforts twice this season.

"We needed a strong defense and a really consistent defense," DeOliveira said. "I think that the four of us, we grew to know each other. We knew when each person was going to do this movement, and we would have to feed off of that. I think the four of us back there really connected well, and did what we needed to do."

After missing the beginning of her freshman season at DeSales because of her ACL recovery, DeOliveira has been a constant piece to the Bulldogs' success over the past two seasons.

Slotted in the midfielder position during her first two seasons, DeOliveira played in 25 games for the Bulldogs and made 11 starts. As a sophomore, she started in nine of the 17 games she appeared in, and tallied a goal and assist.

Taking over for Mary Guarino, who coached the Bulldogs in the previous eight seasons and went 52-81-9, DeSales finished Kemp's first season with a 7-8-3 mark (1-5-1 in Freedom Conference). The record may not jump off the page, but DeOliveira and the Bulldogs are aware of the strides they've taken.

"This year was actually a really good year," DeOliveira said. "Our record didn't show as well as we improved, but overall I think our season was great compared to previous years. I think Heather Kemp, our new coach, really had an impact on us. She did really well overall teaching us new skills, and how to get better as a team in general."