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Psychology (Counseling & Health) | Women's Soccer
POV: It’s an hour from kickoff. Music is blaring, the energy in the locker room is high. The Great American Northeast Conference (GNAC) title is on the line.
In the midst of pregame chatter, Annebel Balogh de Galantha ’26 has her own headphones on, and she just completed her Rubik’s Cube – it’s game time.
“It helps me calm my mind down – and it reminds me – I love this game. Feeling the pressure means I care,” she said.
For Balogh de Galantha and her teammates on the Women’s Soccer team, their triumph over Johnson & Wales University in fall 2024 was a culmination of team-wide progression and commitment to progress.
Despite the pressure, when they took the field that day, “the air just changed,” leading to the team’s first GNAC title since 2007.
Beyond the Game: Saints student athletes get the best of both worlds, building their future on and off the field.
Being a student athlete has meant a lot of things for Balogh de Galantha. In her college search, it meant entering a new phase of life. When she became a team captain, it meant personal growth from taking a leadership role. And perhaps most of all, it’s been an experience she’ll always treasure.
“Annebel Balogh de Galantha '26I knew Emmanuel was somewhere they care about the individual student. I wanted my main focus to be on academics, but I wanted to be a part of something and take the [Women’s Soccer] program somewhere. These four years have proven to me that I made the right choice."
It quickly became clear that her teammates shared the same drive. They wanted to build toward success on the pitch – and were equally dedicated to supporting each other when it came to balancing priorities and navigating coursework.
When she became co-captain as a junior, Balogh de Galantha took some of the responsibility for maintaining that culture within the team, and felt herself grow personally as a result.
“I’ve grown into someone who is more confident in herself and her decisions,” she said. Working with so many people: coaches, teammates, referees and athletic staff helped her learn to be “professional, but personable.”
It wasn’t exclusive to athletics – she was flourishing in the classroom, too.
For the second consecutive year in 2025, Balogh de Galantha was selected to the College Sports Communicators (CSC) Division III Women’s Soccer Academic All-America Team, celebrating her stellar performances on the field and her cumulative 4.00 GPA in the psychology major.
When she set out to succeed in athletics and academics at Emmanuel, she set high standards for herself – and she said this two-time recognition is validation for not only her work, but all the support around her at the College.
She especially valued the support she received from faculty as soon as she started her undergraduate journey. Knowing that she had the backing from her professors not only on her coursework, but in athletics too, was a huge boost – as was the trust they put in her to manage her time well and stay on track.
“Being recognized for this makes me so proud to be a representative of Emmanuel,” she said, “it’s a way of validating and honoring all the support and encouragement I’ve gotten along the way.”
With her counseling and health concentration in psychology, Balogh de Galantha hopes to pursue a Master’s in Social Work (MSW) – and is considering doing so at Simmons University through a new partnership between Simmons and Emmanuel.
Lately she’s been working on her Senior Distinction project, which focuses on sport psychology and the mental health of student athletes. As she plans for her career, she said she hopes she can continue to support athletes and students as they navigate their own mental health struggles.
“That’s the kind of advocate I want to be – now and in the future,” she said.
Reflecting back on that championship day in fall 2024, and on every season at Emmanuel, Balogh de Galantha remembers all the little moments. It was a rollercoaster, she said, but she and her teammates understood their potential from the start and got better each year – leading them to that first GNAC title and then defending it in 2025.
With back-to-back titles on the field and back-to-back academic achievements, Balogh de Galantha said it’s a “bittersweet moment,” as she approaches graduation. She’s looking forward to what’s next for herself, and holds onto so much excitement for her teammates who have more seasons to play at Emmanuel.
From everyone doing their hair in the locker room pre-game, to every single kick on the field, even the smallest memories stand out to her.
“This was just such an important experience for me – so I can remember it all. Those moments stick,” Balogh de Galantha said.