Naperville’s O’Reilly looks to build on a promising freshman year at Northwestern

Though playing soccer at Northwestern near home, Aaron O'Reilly still felt like he was playing for his local club — and that meant everything.

The Wildcats freshman from Naperville didn't wait long to celebrate his first collegiate goal, which came in the second game of the season against Air Force. As he fired the ball into the net, he rushed to the corner for a Cristiano Ronaldo-esque celebration, his parents and friends watching from the stands.

“It's great to see there's a bunch of people who can come out and support me,” he said. “I want to try harder for them. I want to prove why I deserve to go to a university like this.”

O'Reilly then delivered a promising freshman campaign with five goals and two assists, earning a spot on the Big Ten All-Freshman Team. With the seniors’ departures, he is expected to play in a larger role for the upcoming season offensively.

O’Reilly grew up in an influential soccer household, which was shaped largely by his Irish father, John, a die-hard Liverpool FC supporter. Under his tutelage, O'Reilly started kicking a ball at age 3. At 6 he joined Eclipse Select SC in the Naperville area before switching to Sockers FC Chicago in 2018.

Balancing school at Naperville Central with late-afternoon training sessions at Olympic Park in Schaumburg wasn't easy. Before getting his driver's license, he had to carpool with teammates from school just to make practice each day.

Under the Sockers' development system, O'Reilly, who grew up playing center back, made a significant position shift when coaches saw his potential on the wing and moved him forward. He later leveraged his natural speed and size to become an attacking player.

“When I went to No. 9, I really started to develop as a player, and I realized I feel really comfortable in this position,” he said.

O'Reilly chose to bypass varsity soccer at Naperville Central, believing the club pathway gave him better exposure for Division I recruitment.

“It was a recruiting decision,” he said. “I just thought it was my best choice to stay through the academy and give myself the best opportunity to develop against the best competition.”

That decision paid off. With the Sockers, O'Reilly competed across the country and internationally after the program joined MLS Next as a non-league-affiliated team. The highlight came in 2025 when the Sockers qualified for the Generations adidas Cup by winning among non-MLS-affiliated academies in the United States. The team eventually ended the journey in the quarterfinals while playing against academies from around the world.

“I just never thought, playing for my local club, I would play in something as cool as that — against international academy-level players,” he said.

Playing college soccer was always the goal for O’Reilly, and Northwestern was at the top of his list. As the closest Big Ten school to home, he felt it was the right fit. The consideration became a no-brainer decision after coach Russell Payne handed an offer after the visit.

“My family and I were all like, if I get an offer to go to Northwestern, I'm going to Northwestern,” he said.

Knowing college soccer demands physicality and speed, O'Reilly spent the offseason to match that level. His mental side also developed naturally thanks to a welcoming locker room.

“I think we have the best squad in the country as far as team culture goes,” he said. “Coming in as a freshman, I had a lot of upperclassmen take me under their wing and show me how to train as a college soccer player.”

O'Reilly started 14 of 17 games during the 2025 season. He opened the campaign with one goal and one assist in the ‘Cats' first two victories. Entering a deeper Big Ten slate, he scored four goals against tougher conference foes and largely contributed to crucial wins.

“Coach Russell instilled a lot of confidence in me from the start,” he said. “He told me, 'If you come in and show up in practice and try your best, you give yourself a chance to get minutes.' That was my initial fire.”

One moment stood out as that certified him at the college level. Against Michigan State, Payne pulled him aside at halftime with a simple message.

“He came up to me and said, 'I think I need to play you the whole 90 minutes,'” O'Reilly said. “I was like, 'Of course.'”

He scored in that game, though Northwestern lost 2-1. It was one of his two full 90-minute appearances of the season. O'Reilly finished the year with 12 points, ranking second on the team behind senior captain Joe Suchecki (13).

Now approaching his sophomore season in Evanston, O'Reilly is focused on raising the ceiling he already established. While spending the offseason refining himself as a better forward, one season objective was clear in mind: scoring more goals.

“I don't think there's any need to heap more pressure on myself,” he said of entering his second year. “I feel like I'm already a better player coming in this year.”