NCS Junior of the Year
JORDYN YOUNG, CARONDELET
Despite playing among a team with talented players across the attacking line, Jordyn Young entered the 2019-2020 season with a target on her bright red jersey, having been named the Prep2Prep Sophomore of the Year after the previous season and already having verbally committed to Cal for her college career.
That target resulted in plenty of attention from opposing defenses, often dedicating two and three players to mark Young, who produced at a high rate despite the constant attention.
“Jordyn is such an unselfish player, and what was so impressive was how she was able to produce with so many defenders assigned to stopping her,” said Carondelet coach Amy Apodaca. “She is able to hold the ball, fight off pressure and make plays for her teammates.”
Young’s tremendous effort all season long showed up not only in the amount of team success that the Cougars were able to experience, but also in her own stat line. She led Carondelet with 14 goals and seven assists, including production in key moments for the Cougars. On seven different occasions this season, her goals gave Carondelet a lead it would never relinquish, including the late second-half game-winner against St. Francis-Sacramento in the NorCal Division I semifinals.
“Winning the NorCal title was the best feeling in the world,” Young said. “Being up by a goal and hearing the final whistle to a game that you prepared for all season was absolutely incredible. We worked hard, challenged each other mentally and physically at practice, and stepped on the field every game with a passion to win. Holding the medals in our hands after the final game just reassured us that our hard work had paid off.”
Another impressive example of Young’s ability to lead from the outset of each game came in the Cougars’ section quarterfinal win over Heritage, when she stunned the Patriots’ defense with her creativity and explosiveness from the wing, scoring in the first minute of the match. On other occasions, such as late-season league wins over Monte Vista and California, it was her passing ability which set up key goals and secured an East Bay Athletic League title for the Cougars, continually executing what she described as “purposeful crosses to feet for easy tap-ins”.
“One of the really exciting things about Jordyn is that she was voted in as one of our three team captains this season, and she not only leads by example, but continues to blossom and grow,” Apodaca added. “It all fits right in with who she is, as a very humble individual. She’s beyond good, but she doesn’t carry herself that way.”
Despite having already made a huge impact before her junior season, Young found ways to improve her game as a junior and became a more well-rounded player across the field.
“One of the things Jordyn did much better this season was chasing back on defense and helping out on the other end of the field,” Apodaca said. “She was really able to add that to her game and become a better overall player.”
Now, after capturing league and regional titles – which Carondelet accomplished with a win over Archbishop Mitty in the NorCal Division I regional final – Young can look forward to her senior year, when she and plenty of underclass teammates will return and seek the trifecta of league, section and regional titles.
“As a forward and as a captain, I feel it is my responsibility to finish under pressure, provide options for teammates to play, and to begin the line of pressure on the field,” Young said. “In the EBAL, you go up against amazing defenders, and I am grateful for the competition I have, because it has challenged me to be better.
For her efforts this past season, we are pleased to recognize Carondelet’s Jordyn Young as the Prep2Prep North Coast Section Junior of the Year.
Other players considered for this award include Liberty’s Alexis Gutierrez, Heritage’s Renny Buchanan, Dublin’s Jaeden Nelson, Berean Christian’s Sydney Sodergren, Clayton Valley’s Rylie Velez and Northgate’s Natalie LaRue.
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