By Web site Editor Admin
Winning the Kellogg’s National Championship is a very big deal for an eighth grader from a small town in New Jersey. But, even bigger would be having your team’s picture on the front cover of a Frosted Flakes cereal box. Jessica Crankshaw achieved both of these things before she began to conquer the challenges of high school.
When Crankshaw started at Lacey Township High School in Lanoka, N.J., she left her options open for what she would decide to play in college, if anything. She juggled playing both soccer and basketball for her first two years, but at the end of her sophomore year, she had to make a decision.
“I felt my strengths were with soccer more so than with basketball,” Crankshaw said. “I wanted to stop playing basketball and focus all my attention and efforts on playing soccer.”
Crankshaw managed to stay with the same club team from elementary school through high school, while also playing for her high school soccer team. Her club team, the Lacey Magic, is where she met one of her best friends, Tracy.
“The most influential and encouraging person about my soccer career has to be Tracy, whom has played with me since I was four,” Crankshaw said. “We’ve been through a lot of problems, but together we stuck it out for all these years.”
American University, La Salle University and the University of Maryland were just a few schools that Crankshaw was interested in, and likewise, they were interested in her. However, after two other officials to American and La Salle, Crankshaw said, “My experience at Hofstra was just so much better than it had been at the other schools. I really liked the team, the coaches and the campus.”
Throughout her career with the Lacey Magic, Crankshaw played mostly forward and central midfielder, but was never limited to one position on the field. She was mostly a defender on her high school team and the Pride recruited her to bolster its defensive corps.
As a junior in high school, she was named Ocean County Observer Defender of the Year, and as a senior she was awarded Newark-Star Ledger Ocean County Defender of the Year and her team’s most valuable player. As a freshman, she was team Rookie of the Year.
When preparing for and thinking about college soccer, one of the girls Crankshaw had played with on her club team helped advise her about what to expect in college.
“She helped us prepare for preseason and how playing in college was going to be,” she said. “It helped me out very much.”
“Coming into preseason, I just hoped to see some playing time, but as the season progressed and even during scrimmages, I saw a lot of time on the field,” Crankshaw added. ” [Assistant coach] Simon [Riddiough] told me I was playing extremely well and if I continued to play like I had been, I would be a starter.”
Playing soccer at a college level and playing at a high school level are so different in many ways. The pace of the game is much quicker and the players are both quicker and stronger.
“I feel like I’ve adjusted pretty well and I feel like a big part of the team now, but as a freshman I still have a lot to learn,” she said.
Crankshaw joked that her career with the Pride might be the end of her soccer career simply because there isn’t much after college for soccer players. Even though this may very well be the end of the road for Crankshaw as a soccer player, she has already made her mark as part of the Pride. She is a freshman and has started in every game so far.
It will be interesting to see how Crankshaw develops over the next few seasons, because even though she’s achieved so much, Crankshaw will be the first to tell you that there’s always room for improvement.
Jessica Crankshaw (12) drives past a defender to help the Pride. (Photo Courtesy of Athletic Dept.)