Coupeville Sports

Jacalyn Hefflefinger and Spencer.

Hefflefinger has the brawn to back up her soccer skills.

The Whidbey Islanders GU18 select soccer squad, which brings together players from all three Island high schools, returns to action in December. This is one in a series of articles on the girls who proudly wear the jersey.

Soccer has taken Jacalyn Hefflefinger around the world.

The Oak Harbor High School junior first took to the pitch as a first-grader in Florida, and, after winding her way to Washington state three years later, she has taken her soccer skills overseas as well.

Trips to Austria, Germany and Spain with soccer teams broadened her horizons and honed her game (“They were such great experiences and definitely helped me with my soccer skills”).

Now, the academy and select team vet is bringing her talents to the Islanders on a full-time basis, after playing as a guest player with them during summer tournaments.

“I wanted to learn more about soccer and to become a better player so after high school season I went off Island and started playing at Northwest United. I played there year around and my coach, Darren Bell, taught me all I know,” Hefflefinger said. “He helped me become a better athlete and understand the game.

“This year, unfortunately, coach Darren couldn’t coach our team so I had to find somewhere else to play,” she added. “Thankfully coach Sean Levine offered to have me play with them and I couldn’t be happier. I love the group of girls I am playing with and the coaches are great!”

During her time on the pitch, Hefflefinger has bounced between positions (“I have played all over the field, minus goalie”) but has settled in at the outside mid position.

“It’s where I feel more comfortable,” Hefflefinger said. “The outside is kinda like a safety net to me; playing middle is just too much field!”

A hard charger on the field (“I love the challenge and how competitive everybody gets!”), she values the friendships she’s made (“Every soccer team I’ve played on, we were all a family, and that’s one of the main reasons I love playing.”)

A strong student with an interest in sports medicine (“I enjoy learning how to deal with injuries and all the different bones in the body”), Hefflefinger spends her free time watching “sad, romantic” movies, playing with her seven-month-old puppy Spencer and working with Big Brothers Big Sisters, where she helps her “little,” Gabby Bozovich.

More than anything else, her days as a soccer player have taught her to be strong and to overcome adversity.

Hefflefinger tore ligaments in her left ankle at a soccer camp in the summer before her sophomore year and had to wear a protective boot. When she came back midway through the season, she re-injured herself and missed the rest of the year.

But, with the help of her select coach, Darren Bell, she never let the injury put a stop to her fighting spirit.

“I was stressed out when I started playing again because I was scared of getting injured again and my left ankle was weak from not playing on it for so long,” Hefflefinger said. “He would call and ask me how I was doing and things I could do to help strengthen my ankle, which really helped me a lot.”

Now healthy and rampaging across the pitch, she lives by a simple, powerful motto.

“I never give up on the field; I always try to give my all!”