MUSTANG, Okla. (AP) - The first thing Jaci Jones noticed in Italy was the game speed on a soccer field.
The Oklahoman (https://bit.ly/1PHEBBV ) reports that as a member of the United States Soccer Federation under-17 team last April, Jones’ wonder of being in another country playing against some of the top young talent in the world took a backseat to the pace she rarely sees at Mustang High School.
“It definitely made me realize going from that speed of play back to high school that if I could play with them I could play with the high schools,” Jones said.
Jones returned after 10 days and helped Mustang reach the Class 6A state semifinals with an upset of perennial power Norman North.
Jones is back for one more season, a crucial one for a team built around eight senior starters. She’s trying to use her experience of playing all over the world to push her team further than they’ve been.
“She sees a lot of different things, so she brings that experiences to our team,” first-year Mustang coach Lindsay Riggs said. “It helps us be more rounded and brings us more confidence.”
Jones, a midfielder who will continue playing next year at Oklahoma State, has become a traveling star.
She plays on two club teams - one in Dallas and one locally - and has been a part of the USSF organization since she was 10 years old. She’s gone from the organization’s state team to the regional team to the national team, where she faced two players who played for Italy in the Olympics.
That competition doesn’t necessarily make high school soccer a thrill, but she rediscovered the joy of it while in Italy pulling for her teammates as they won 2 of 3 matches without her.
“It really made me appreciate them more,” Jones said. “The girls did what they were supposed to, and they did it without me. It felt good.”
Jones said she’s embracing her last high school season with her teammates and approaching it with the goal of playing in her first state championship.
“I don’t absolutely love high school soccer, but I love playing for my school, my friends, my teachers and family,” Jones said. “For this year we’re all contributing to the team’s success. If I score, that’s great, but if our outside back scores that’s even better. It’s more of everybody together for the same goal instead of getting it to one person so she can do it.”
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Information from: The Oklahoman, https://www.newsok.com
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