Newly-hired strength coach Emily Jacobson decided to have some fun with the team in 2015.
“The freshmen on the women’s soccer team were going to do a dance routine (at the student-athlete talent show),” Jacobson said. “So I made it a part of the team warmup for them to practice their dance recital program for the team.”
There was a catch that added extra meaning to the lighthearted prank: One of those freshmen was Emily Jacobson’s younger sister, Allison Jacobson, who can still easily recall her anger.
“That was probably the time I was most upset with her, hands down,” the Allison Jacobson said. “Everyone heard about that one in the family.”
Those two families, the Jacobsons’ and Marquette women’s soccer, have shaped former student-athlete and current coach Emily Jacobson’s time at Marquette. She suited up for head coach Markus Roeders from 2010-’13 at the same time as twin sister Cara Jacobson did.
“It was great,” Emily Jacobson said on playing collegiately with her sister. “We had grown up together playing soccer. So we were both really excited to continue to play together through our college years.”
During her second stint at Marquette, Emily Jacobson has served as the strength coach for her younger sister Allison Jacobson, a junior defensive midfielder on the women’s soccer team. This involves treating Allison Jacobson the same as she would treat Bri Jaeger, Madison Dunker or any other defender on the roster.
“I don’t think our sister relationship has changed at all,” Emily Jacobson said. “There’s just a new type of relationship where I’m her coach. She’s another women’s soccer player and that’s how she’s treated.”
Allison Jacobson also embraces the ability to be a part of Emily Jacobson’s coaching side. She has taken advantage of Allison Jacobson’s knowledge; knowledge that helped her earning NCAA Tournament appearances and BIG EAST division titles in all four years as a student.
“It’s been really beneficial for the team to have someone that’s gone through the season,” Allison Jacobson said. “(She) knows the wear and tear that goes on in our bodies.”
Even though Emily Jacobson treats Allison Jacobson no differently than any other player, the two of them still make sure to have bonding time.
“When we’re in the weight room or on a workout, she’s Coach Emily,” Allison Jacobson said. “But sometimes we’ll step off to the side and be like, ‘Hey, sister moment.’”
“If we’re in a family setting, she’s my sister. It doesn’t cross my mind that she’s my coach,” Allison Jacobson said.
Emily Jacobson’s ability to remain professional, even with her sister as one of the student-athletes under her purview, has not gone unnoticed.
“She is the greatest,” deputy athletic director Mike Broeker said. “The kids have no better example than her.”
When Allison Jacobson graduates in 2019, it will be the first time that Emily Jacobson will be at Marquette without one of her siblings in the program.
“I don’t know what it’s like to not have a sister here at Marquette when I’m here,” Emily Jacobson said. “So I’m actually very interested to see what it’s like to be here at Marquette without a sister.”
Being sister-less at Marquette will not change Emily Jacobson’s love for the job, she said.
“I love working with student-athletes at Marquette and if my sister wasn’t playing soccer here, I’d still be a coach here. I would’ve seized this opportunity without a doubt.”
And Emily Jacobson will have more opportunities besides the dance recital to annoy her little sister.
“I think I’ve only actually pissed her off only a couple times, so we’ll call that a win so far,” Emily Jacobson said. “I’ve probably pissed her off as a sister way more.”
