Jenna Richmond From National Champion UCLA, WPSL Champs FC Kansas City & U23 USWNT Speaks To Pattys About “What It Take To Be A Champion”

On Monday after training, and as they prepared for the opportunity to win the conference championship, the Liberty Patriots Girls Soccer Varsity squad had a very special opportunity to listen to and ask questions of Jenna Richmond. In he past 12 months, Jenna has won both a WPSL Championship with FC Kansas City (as a rookie and 16th overall WPSL pick) and a NCAA Division I National Championship as captain of UCLA last Fall. Jenna has been a member of the US Women’s National Team at the U15, U17, U20 and U23 levels, participating in many international events including the U20 World Cup. Richmond was also a standout in the classroom earning Academic All-American Honors. You can check out her UCLA bio from the 2013 season HERE.

Richmond shared with the Pattys her experience of what it takes for a team to be a champion, speaking about her personal experience at UCLA where in her first three years they had the talent to be the best, but it was not until her senior year when they focused solely on the team’s goal that they truly reached their potential. She said that being “on the same page” as a team is the key to success and shared a personal story of how as a senior she was taken off the field with 9 minutes left in the national semifinal with the team down 1-0, and at first was upset that it could be her last time on the field. But as captain who had urged everyone to be on the same page, she realized it had been done for a reason and that she had to show support of the decision. Her sub scored the tying goal in those last nine minutes, the team went on to win in PK’s, advancing to the National Championship game two days later, which they won.

She shared that to be champions, every player is important, no matter the role, and that by giving 110% in training every day, every player is helping the team get prepared to be champions. And you never know when you might be called on to make a difference in just nine minutes!

She also shared that although she won a club national championship, she never won a high school state title, and that is one thing to this day she wishes she had accomplished.

During the past WPSL season with FC Kansas City, US WNT Head Coach Jill Ellis tracked her performance in many matches with microchip technology, monitoring various data for evaluation in considering Jenna for the full US WNT as they prepare for the 2015 World Cup. We wish Jenna all the best and hope to see her on that stage, and cannot thank her enough for taking time to talk to the Pattys!

GO PATRIOTS!