The injury that changed everything: Calli Chiarelli’s path to Idaho Soccer

It started as an ordinary preseason club game for 13-year-old Calli Chiarelli, playing the game, she loves and savoring every second of it. How it ended would reshape Chiarelli’s entire life, becoming her drive and determination every time she puts on a soccer uniform and steps onto the field. 

Chiarelli was gearing up for her club season when this preseason game took an unexpected turn. She took a cross she had executed dozens of times before, but this cross ended differently. A broken hip sidelined her for six and a half months. In soccer’s absence, Chiarelli’s hunger for the game only intensified. When she was out and couldn’t lace up her cleats, she knew what she was destined to do. 

“It was a totally unexpected injury, as most injuries are,” Chiarelli said. “I was playing in a game, and I felt really confident and excited for the season. It was in a preseason game. I took a cross, followed through and heard it pop. I knew immediately that something was wrong. I was on crutches for six weeks. It was a six-and-a-half-month recovery. It was really hard to watch people play the sport that I loved.” 

“It was in that moment when I realized I want to do this for a living, and I wanted to play at the next level and keep pursuing those dreams,” Chiarelli continued. “From then on, I have worked so hard every single day to make 13-year-old Calli proud.” 

From that day, it was clear for Chiarelli that she wanted to play soccer for as long as she could, and nothing was going to get in her way. Chiarelli, a native of Wilmette, Illinois, with a goal in mind, now had to put her dream into action.  

She went on to attend New Trier Township High School, where she was a three-sport star in soccer, water polo and track and field. 

Even with the multiple sports, her heart was still set on soccer. She committed to Southern Illinois University Edwardsville to continue her soccer journey and stay in her home state. 

“I’m so thankful for the experiences and opportunities that the coaches gave me there,” Chiarelli said. “It was an amazing place to start, and I wouldn’t have traded that experience for the world. The team was awesome, and I really learned who I was as a player and a person at that school. I just gained a lot of confidence and experience from playing at SIUE.” 

After two seasons at SIUE, Chiarelli was growing frustrated and decided it was in her best interest to enter her name into the transfer portal and continue her dream somewhere else. 

“I was getting a little bit frustrated at SIUE, but once again, I wouldn’t trade anything,” she said. “The coaches were amazing and super helpful, and I just knew in my heart that I can be more as a player and as a person. So I entered the portal, and it was the scariest decision I’ve ever made in my life. I didn’t know where I was going to end up, if I was going to get picked up. I put in a lot of work to watch film, create a highlight reel, email schools, talk to coaches, and this was all in a two- or three-week period, so that was super stressful. 

“I’m so happy at Idaho. When I walked onto this campus on my visit, I fell in love with it and knew this is home.” 

Her love of soccer, snow and the promising opportunity led to Chiarelli making the bold choice to transfer to the University of Idaho, 2,000 miles from her hometown. 

“The soccer was definitely a super big piece of it,” Chiarelli said. “I immediately clicked with the girls here, and I just felt so at ease and at home. Obviously, this program also has a super winning history, and it’s really cool to be a part of the program now. The campus is absolutely gorgeous. It’s 2,000 miles from home for me, but it doesn’t feel like I’m far away at all.” 

Along with the winning tradition and tight-knit team, Chiarelli has also enjoyed the nature aspect of Moscow. She enjoys water activities such as wakeboarding and water skiing, plus the hiking trails around Moscow has to offer.  

“I’ve noticed that I am the happiest I’ve probably ever been in college,” she said. “It’s amazing to always wake up and smile and be excited to come to practice. I think I came out of my shell here at Idaho, and I finally found my people and my friends. It’s just really amazing to have that group around me that helps me bring out my inner person.” 

So far in a Vandal uniform, the redshirt sophomore forward has been electrifying. With her elite level speed, willingness to take on defenders one-on-one and her work ethic, she has been an invaluable part of the Vandals. She’s already notched two goals, including a game-winning header against UTEP, showcasing her ability to deliver in crucial moments. 

Chiarelli’s game-winning goal came off a header following a rebound off the crossbar.  

“For as long as I can remember, I’ve been yelled at to get the rebounds and always crash the net,” Chiarelli said. “I saw that ball bounce off the crossbar, and I’m thinking to myself, ‘I better put this in the back of the net right now.’ And sure enough, it just went right through the keeper’s hands. It was a good header, and it found the back of the net. I was like, ‘Let’s go, I scored again!'” 

A few games before her game winner, Chiarelli scored her first goal in a Vandal uniform against border rival Washington State. Idaho head coach Jeremy Clevenger praised her performance over what he has seen from her in her time as a Vandal and scoring her first goal. “Yeah, Calli’s a weapon up there. She’s athletic, strong when she’s dribbling at you, watch out. And she was able to get a nice poke in, great ball. And a great finish.” 

From the soccer fields of Illinois to the mountains of Idaho, from the 13-year-old girl who just wanted to play the game she loved, for Chiarelli, all of this was to make her younger self proud and play the game that she loves for as long as she can. 

“I definitely think I have made her proud. I’m in a place that I never thought I’d be in soccer,” Chiarelli said. “When I was in the recruiting process initially, I didn’t even think I was going to get picked up. When I got that opportunity from SIUE, it was one of the biggest blessings I’ve had in my life to start there and then to transfer to Idaho and have an even bigger opportunity here.” 

“I’m just so thankful for everything that’s happened to me in the soccer world. It was never easy, and it never has been, and it probably never will be for me. But I know in my heart that the 13-year-old who broke her hip is smiling right now.”

Jayden Barfuss can be reached at [email protected].