Three-year-old Riley Febbroriello watched her brother, Tyler, playing soccer from the sidelines, and once she picked up a soccer ball and kicked it around, she knew this is exactly what she wanted to do for the rest of her life. Febroriello could have never expected to be where she is now, or the years she spent with her club team, and the determination she would show.

“I can’t imagine my life without soccer,” Febbroriello shared. “I’ve been doing it my whole life, and it has just become a constant in my life.”

Now, Febbroriello is a senior in high school, and she is nearing the end of her high school soccer career. But for Febbroriello, she has much more soccer in her future.

Febbroriello committed to Farmingdale State College, located in Farmington, New York, on May 20th, 2025. She visited the college campus over April break in 2025, and she stayed overnight with a few of the girls from the team. Even though Febbroriello had considered other schools, like Suffolk, Farmingdale was her number one choice after the Farmingdale coach had watched one of her games and given her Ginga coach his card.

“The Farmingdale coach is really nice, and he seems like he really cares about the athletes,” Febbroriello explained. “I really liked how the coach described the program, and when I talked to the other girls on the team, they spoke very highly of him.”

Febbroriello holds the principle of a strong bond with a coach dear to her because of the loss of her own coach as a freshman. Stephen Sullivan was the coach of the girls soccer team until July 2023, when he unfortunately passed away at age 72. Sullivan was the head coach of Febbroriello her freshman year, and although it wasn’t for long, he taught her all the right ways to be a leader on the soccer field.

“It was hard because he was more than a coach. He would go to all the sporting events, and if you ever needed anything, he could be the number one option. I see that a lot in my coach at Farmingdale coach.”

Febbroriello has been playing for Ginga FC, a soccer club located in Hamden, Madison, North Branford, and Woodbridge, since her freshman year of high school. “I played for Rush Select [another high school club soccer team], but I switched to Ginga because it was more competitive, and they play in a better league than Rush,” Febbroriello mentioned.

Although Febbroriello is a senior, she was born in 2007. This means she played with the 2007 team on Ginga, rather than the 2008 team, which would have been people in her grade. But playing a grade above allowed her to run ahead of her peers regarding the recruitment process.

In Connecticut, college coaches are not allowed to directly contact student athletes until August 1, going into their junior years. However, because Febbroriello had played for the 2007 team, coaches were able to directly contact her earlier at tournaments when she was with her team.

“Playing for the 07s gave me more exposure to college coaches because they could reach out to me my sophomore year,” Febbroriello explained.

Assistant Coach William Lindsay has been with the Morgan girls soccer program for nine years. Lindsay has been coaching Febbroriello all four years and seen her growth as a player and person.

Regarding Febbroriello’s strongest trait, Lindsay referenced her intensity on the field. “She plays with a sense of urgency all the time. She is committed in the sense that she does a great job leading by example, going hard and just kind of setting the tone for our team.”

“She’s a natural leader. She’s always had leadership potential, and she has that in her skill set,” Lindsay continued. “But as her confidence has grown, she’s gotten better at it, and I think that’s the biggest growth for her.”

Febbroriello has grown since her freshman year, but with college ahead of her, she has more room for growth and to become the best version of herself. “My favorite part of high school soccer was team dinners. I loved being around my teammates and bonding with them. I will miss my team, especially the girls I’ve been playing with since we were young, but I’m excited for what my future has to offer,” Febbroriello remarked.