After years of playing soccer, swimming and running track and cross country, senior Jessica Wallace has committed to play soccer for Meredith College starting in the fall.

“I have been playing since I was five and that explains why my jersey is number five,” Wallace said. “I chose to play soccer because I love it the most and I decided to play at Meredith College because they came all the way through with me, it is an all-girl school and I need to focus on my school work, plus it’s close to home,” Jessica said.

According to Jessica’s mother, Melissa Wallace, soccer has been a passion of Jessica’s since she was very young, and that passion has continued and gotten stronger over the years.

“She had mentioned very early on in high school that she wanted to play soccer in college, not run track, so this is where she decided to put her most effort in high school sports. We are extremely proud of her acceptance into Meredith and her playing for the soccer team,” Mrs. Wallace said. “We plan to be at every game possible.”

And those games will be very different from her high school games, according to her First Flight soccer coach Mark Cross.

“It’s definitely a great opportunity for her as she will experience the game of soccer at a higher level that will push her commitment to the game like never before,” Cross said. “You also cannot forget that Jess is a triple threat, as she has found great success running track and cross country.”

In fact, Jessica received offers from other schools that were out-of-state, many of which were to run track or cross country and for swimming. In the two years that Wallace ran cross country, she competed in the state championship meet, taking fifth place her freshman year and eighth place her sophomore year, as well as placing onto the North Carolina all-state team for the top seven runners at the state meet.

“Cross country was really a lot of fun, running as well as meeting new people. The two years I ran cross country were great, but my junior year didn’t go so well because we had a new coach,” Jessica said.

During her sophomore year, Jessica was also named conference player of the year for soccer, after finishing the season with 42 goals in 20 games. Because of her ability to score, her team has leaned heavily on her since she was in the 10th grade.

“Jess has been a staple in Lady Nighthawk soccer since her sophomore season where she broke the school scoring record, was named conference player of the year and has led the conference in scoring ever since,” Cross said. “In addition to Jess’s all conference recognitions, she has also received all region awards.”

Perhaps that is why Jessica chose soccer over her other sports.

“Soccer was my favorite sport throughout high school because it was my passion,” Jessica said.

That passion led Jessica to commit all of her efforts to soccer, as she eventually gave up both track and cross country. That commitment has helped her lead the conference in goals this season, with an average of 1.5 goals per game and 27 goals on the season so far.

“We have always been supportive of Jessica’s commitments,” Mrs. Wallace said. “It was very difficult to see her struggle with making a decision to run track or play soccer, especially knowing with the correct mindset and training she could be a state champion with many lifelong opportunities. We offered her advice and support but mostly let her know that she needed to do what made her happy.”

What made her happy was playing soccer. As a senior, she is once again leading the conference in points and goals, making this the third year in a row that she has held the top spot in both categories. For her career, she has 204 points and 92 goals in 54 games played.

“This season is so much different because it’s my last year playing high school soccer with the girls that I have been playing with for so long, and we will all be going our separate ways after this season is over,” Jessica said.

Although this season will complete her high school soccer career, Jessica hopes to continue her success through her years of playing at Meredith College. No matter what, both her coach and her mother are proud of her accomplishments.

“From a coach’s point of view, it is always exciting to have a player take the skills of the game they have developed through your program to the next level. Jess is the next Lady Nighthawk, of a long line of ladies that have donned the Nighthawk uniform to take their abilities to the collegiate level,” Cross said. “I think from the administration to the faculty and certainly the coaching staff (past and present) everyone is proud and excited for Jess and wish her the best of luck at Meredith.”

Her mother says she’s proud of Jessica as well and realizes how much soccer has helped her daughter become who she is today.

“I couldn’t be more proud of the young woman Jessica has become, I am grateful that life lessons learned through sports and soccer have helped shape her into the strong, caring, humble athlete she is today,” Mrs. Wallace said. “I am sure her dedication, determination, and happy-go-lucky personality will help her be very successful as a college athlete.”

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