White

GROVE CITY — As her collegiate career drew closer and closer to an end, Jordyn White adopted a simple way of looking at things.

“I think I just tried to focus on the season and enjoying and soaking up every moment,” White said.

White was as successful at that as she was in her play on the soccer pitch for the Grove City women's soccer team.

White, a Mars graduate and senior center-back for the Wolverines, enjoyed one of her most successful seasons — right along with her team.

White earned first-team all-Presidents' Athletic Conference honors for Grove City, which set a school record for wins in a season with 17 and advanced to the ECAC semifinals.

“I'm really proud of the group and team we had,” White said. “It was really cool to see their resilience.”

Grove City lost a heartbreaker to Thomas More in the PAC championship match, falling 1-0, and wasn't sure if it would get a bid into the ECAC tournament.

But the Wolverines did and they made the most of it, beating Frostburg State, 2-1, and Stevenson, 3-1.

The run ended Saturday in another tough loss, 1-0 to New York University.

“I knew for our team it was hard losing all four years to the same team (Thomas More in the PAC playoffs),” White said. “That match we played this year against Thomas More, that was the best we played. When we got in the ECAC, we felt like it was bonus soccer. Getting to play again and enjoying a chance to win a championship drove us.”

White played in 90 career matches for Grove City and made 70 starts. She finished with nine goals and 20 assists in her career — not bad for a defensive player — and had 10 of those assists this season.

“As a defender, you're really working hard for the shutout,” White said. “You're really working hard for your goalie, so when you get a chance to contribute on offense, it feels good.”

White said she looks back at her playing days in high school at Mars and sees how different she has become.

“I think my mindset changed from high school,” she said. “Every time I step on the field, I was playing for a bigger purpose. I was playing for our Lord, for an audience of one.”

White hopes to stay involved in the sport.

“I don't have a definite plan,” she said. “But I'd like to coach somewhere some day.

White added of her time at Grove City College: “The experience and relationships I made were a total blessing.”