Jillian O’Toole BBA ‘23 and fellow Tribe soccer alum Kayleigh Shackford ‘23 are teaming up again across the pond
The game is more physical, the weather is damper, and everyone drives on the wrong side of the road. But Jillian O'Toole, BBA '23 and Kayleigh Shackford, both Class of '23, are in soccer heaven as they continue their careers in Ireland.
O'Toole and Shackford, who played four and a half seasons together at William & Mary, are now teammates with Treaty United FC, an Irish association club based in Limerick. The team competes in the League of Ireland Women's Premier Division.
The regular season began in mid-March — the day before St. Patrick's Day — and is set to end in mid-October. It's constant soccer sprinkled with some free time to explore.
"It's been an incredible experience so far," O'Toole said. "What I've always loved about soccer is all the people you meet by playing this sport. And Irish people are so friendly. You don't meet any mean people in this country.
"It's been really cool getting to meet new people and make new teammates and learn each other's playing styles. To have the opportunity to continue playing after college is awesome."
The Premier Division, as its name suggests, is the highest women's professional level in Ireland.
"This league has been growing," Shackford said. "You see a lot of internationals coming to Ireland in this league, which is cool. We see a familiar face on almost every single team in our league.
"I know there are some other girls from the States who are here. It's been awesome to keep pursuing our dreams at the highest level."
O'Toole and Shackford are second-generation Tribe soccer players. Jillian's mother is Nancy O'Toole (née Reinisch) '88; Kayleigh's is Julie Shackford (née Cunningham) '88. In their four seasons, the Tribe compiled a record of 45-20-11.
In 1995, Julie became the head soccer coach at Princeton. Nancy lived nearby in Montclair, N.J. The girls were born just after the millennium, less than two months apart. They first met, according to their mothers, when they were 5 or 6 years old and were drawn to the beautiful game.
Kayleigh committed to William & Mary during her sophomore year when John Daly was head coach. Two years later, Daly retired and was replaced by Julie Shackford. Not long after that, in what Nancy insists was not predetermined, Jillian committed to the Tribe.
"If we had tried to make that happen," Nancy said, "it never would have happened."
They played 78 matches together, Jillian a midfielder and Kayleigh mostly on the attack. These days, they're playing those same positions on another continent. They share an apartment in Limerick, which is about 125 miles from Dublin.
"It's so nice Jillian is here because, as I was telling her, I really haven't been away from my family," Kayleigh said. "Even in college, my mom was there."
Jillian joined the team in February, a month before the season began. This is special because her grandfather, Eric O'Toole, was born and raised in Dublin.
"That was a draw for me coming to this league," Jillian said. "I still have some distant cousins around here, and it's really special to play where my grandpa was raised and where I have other family, too."
Jillian is working on getting an Irish passport so she can become a citizen.
Kayleigh didn't arrive until June as she recovered from a broken fibula sustained in her final game at William & Mary. She and Jillian have played two matches together; the third will be Saturday at home against Wexford FC.
Of the 30 players on Treaty's online roster, 15 are from Ireland. There are three Americans -- O'Toole, Shackford and LSU alum Anna Rockett. Other nationalities include Canadian, Japanese, Australian and Dutch.
"The girls on our team are all so welcoming," O'Toole said. "They have such an inclusive environment, so it makes us feel like we're less far from home."
There is one game a week, and the players get a day off, so there's plenty of time to see the country. On July 3, Jillian and Kayleigh drove two hours to Dublin for singer-songwriter SZA's concert at Malahide Castle.
Last week, after an hour drive to Cork, they saw Ireland's national women's team stun France 3-1 in EURO 25 qualifying. Next Wednesday, they will fly to France to cheer on the U.S. Women's National Team against Australia in the Paris Olympics.
Nancy O'Toole flew to Ireland three weeks ago and caught one of their games (as well as SZA). The Tribe's preseason practice begins Monday, but Julie Shackford is hoping to make it over at some point.
Back home, she and Nancy are able to stream the games. And seeing their daughters playing together again is almost indescribable.
"Oh, my god, it's just like extending the dream," Julie Shackford said. "We feel incredibly blessed they're able to be together doing what they love."
"You know that feeling you get in college around your friends? They get to extend that a little bit longer."
This article was originally published as a Tribe Scribe on July 24, 2024 in the Women’s Soccer section on Tribe Athletics, under the title: Tribe soccer alums Jillian O’Toole and Kayleigh Shackford are teaming up again across the pond by Dave Johnson.
