Oswego junior Jordyn Washington is the Record Newspapers Girls Soccer Player of the Year

Jordyn Washington endured the lowest of lows as an athlete before she ever set foot on a high school soccer field.

So she can appreciate this year’s high.

The Oswego junior blew out her knee before her freshman year, suffering a torn ACL, MCL, meniscus and LCL. She missed her entire freshman season.

Washington made a smashing return and high school debut as a sophomore. And took it to another level this spring.

Led by its dynamic striker, Oswego won a program-record 19 games and won the Southwest Prairie Conference and Plainfield Classic championships.

“We accomplished a lot,” Washington said. “We set big goals for ourselves and we made it happen.”

Washington made it happen for Oswego, scoring 28 goals and recording six assists. She had a hat trick against Oswego East and scored the game-winning goal in the second overtime to beat Waubonsie Valley in a regional semifinal.

She was named the conference MVP, and is the Record Newspapers Player of the Year.

“The energy that she brought to the team, and the confidence that she brought for us to the attacking was great,” Oswego coach Gaspar Arias said. “When we were struggling, we give the ball to Jordyn and she would get the job done. She was dangerous.”

Possessing a physical frame befitting a power forward in basketball and a powerful leg, Washington fought off defenses geared to stop her and was a threat from anywhere on the field.

Washington, who will play collegiately at Alabama A&M, scored 23 goals as a sophomore. She picked up right where she left off this spring.

“Her physicality, her strength, her ability to dribble, her ability to play the striker position makes her very dangerous,” Arias said. “It makes her a unique player that you want on your team. You want other teams to be afraid of her, you want one of those players. She has all those attributes.”

An energetic and bubbly personality, team captain Washington was an ideal leader for a talented Oswego team that blended returning players with several newcomers.

“She is one of those coachable players, even though she’s really good and knows what she is doing,” Arias said. “We’ve built a good relationship and she’s always listening, always doing what we are asking her to do. She’s very coachable, which is great to see. One of the nice teammates and you can see it.”

Washington’s natural athletic ability should not surprise.

Her dad played Division I college football, her mom Division I basketball.

Washington did try basketball when she was a kid, but her parents quickly realized soccer was their daughter’s sport.

“They were like ‘Oh! She likes this,’ ” Washington said. “I’m super competitive. Scored like every goal in Little League.”

Washington in 2022 was selected to play on the Rush National Select team and Rush Select International team going to Arizona and Madrid, Spain, and later made the U.S. Youth Soccer Olympic Development program.

Her arrival at Oswego was well-timed last season with the program at the time replacing all-time leading scorer Anna Johnson.

But first there was the injury delay. It was 10 months and 13 days before Washington was cleared for full contact in October of 2023.

During her debut sophomore season, Washington scored a goal and assisted a second as Oswego beat Oswego East for the first time in five years. And then she scored three goals in the crosstown game this year.

“I had goals for myself, but you have to trust yourself and trust your knees and think ‘Oh, I can kick a soccer ball now,’” Washington said. “From there you can do anything.”

And she proved that she can do most anything, and lead her team to record heights.

“It’s thrilling to me, night and day,” Washington said. “You get this season-ending injury and all of a sudden you are back out there and doing great.”