Meet the inspirational soccer goalie who excels despite having no legs

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Wednesday, October 7, 2015
Having no legs hasn't stopped the determined Emmanuel Hilton from excelling as a goalie for his high school's JV soccer team.
creativeContent-KDKA

You'd think that having legs would be a necessity to play soccer, but for one determined high school student, it hasn't stopped him from excelling at his sport.

Emmanuel Hilton was born without legs in the African nation of Congo. Hilton was abandoned by his mother and taken to an orphanage as a child, where he lived until he was adopted one year ago by Michelle Hilton and her husband, a Methodist pastor of Pittsburgh, Pa.

"I thought this kid just needs a chance, you know," Michelle Hilton told KDKA. "What could happen if we just step out in faith and just give him a chance? And so we did, and it's good. It's not that hard."

Now, the determined Emanuel is now playing as a goalie for Blackhawk High School's JV soccer team. Despite having no legs, Emmanuel excels at the sport, utilizing his hands to block shots. The only break Emmanuel gets is being able to kick with his arms, but beyond that, his teammates still bring the heat when shooting on the goalie.

"He inspires so many guys," coach Bryan Vitali said of Emmanuel. "He inspires me to come out and do my job better. The guys see him moving and they pick up their intensity. He's completely exceeded our expectations."

Emmanuel says he was slightly afraid to try out for the squad, but found that he was quickly accepted by his peers.

"They like me, they're happy, so I feel comfortable to be on the team."