by Anthony Lofton
She walks onto the field as if she is prepared for war: soccer cleats laced up tight to the top, Adidas warm up pants tied neatly, fly net warm up jacket zipped to the bottom of her neck. She walks into the middle of her team as if joining them together through an invisible bond. She is the youngest on the team, the least experienced, but she may be the most prepared for battle. She is freshman forward Jzhonae White.
Jzhonae is one of two freshmen playing girls varsity soccer (0-10-1), and until the Lee-Davis game in May, she was the only player to score a goal.
Coach Charlotte Foster said Jzhonae “can play in college. If she continues to keep growing and progressing, she can go D1.”
Jzhonae has been playing travel soccer for the Richmond Kickers since sixth grade when she attended Elko Middle School.
“My friends, teammates and coaches always told me I was too good [in soccer] not to play travel,” Jzhonae said, “I really got started when different teams’ coaches started calling my parents to get me to play on their team.”
For the past five years, Jzhonae has played with the same group of girls on Richmond Kickers, and they have remained undefeated every single year.
“To be successful in soccer you have to play travel, you have to play all year long because that’s the only way you will be able to get better. Since we don’t have a travel team in the East End, the fact that Jzhonae plays for a travel team is great for her,” Coach Foster said.
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