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EDWARDSVILLE – Every athletic program has the player who has worked his or her way from the lowest level to the top rung.
Edwardsville's Jenna Stobie is just such a player, joining the Tigers' girls soccer program in the spring of 2015 as a freshman and working her way to a position on this year's varsity roster through hard work and effort.
Stobie will get the opportunity to continue her soccer career in college as she signed a letter of intent to join Lindenwood-Belleville's program next fall to play for the Lynx and for coach Erika Baptist, who previously coached at Belleville East before taking the reins of the Lindenwood-Belleville program.
Lindenwood-Belleville is an NAIA-affiliated program with membership in the American Midwest Conference, which includes schools such as Harris-Stowe, Missouri Baptist and St. Louis College of Pharmacy, all in the St. Louis area; Columbia College and Stephens College in Columbia, Mo.; and William Woods University in Fulton, Mo.
Having worked her way from the freshman team level to varsity has meant much to Stobie. “I've met so many friends along the way and I've definitely improved,” Stobie said. “It's just so exciting.”
Stobie has played soccer since she was four years of age. “I've been playing since I was four years old in a YMCA league,” Stobie said. “I play anything on the left side (of the field); my main position is the left side of the defense since I'm left-footed.
“I just enjoy the physicality of (soccer) – I like how it's go-go-go, no stopping; I really like that.”
“We're excited for her,” EHS girls soccer coach Abby Federmann said. “Jenna's been in our program since she was a freshman; she's an all-around solid program that's gone through the program from freshman year to now and taken the steps from the C-team freshman level to JV and now she'll be playing varsity and she'll get to continue her path at Lindenwood-Belleville, which is great.
“Jenna is first and foremost a team player; her work ethic is bar-none. She will be out there out-working people and look out for her teammates – I've seen her improve physically with her physical fitness tremendously. She's put in a lot of time and effort in the off-season, she works out with me in the summer and fall and her foot skills have gotten increasingly better because her speed's gotten better.
“She is one of those players that will always embrace the younger athletes and show the way; she's just an all-around good kid. I'm pretty excited for her.”
Stobie plans on majoring in education at LU-Belleville. “I really like helping people and kids,” Stobie said, indicating she may work in special education after graduating.
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