At age 4, senior Jessica Anderson found her second home on the soccer pitch. From joining her first recreational team to playing as an Eagle, she’s continually translated her love for the sport into success — whether that’s being a CCS champion sophomore year or traveling across the country to compete against other top U.S. club teams. Jessica capped off those achievements when she committed to play Division I soccer at Colorado College earlier this year.

Like many of her varsity teammates, Jessica got her start playing for the Mountain View-Los Altos Soccer Club at eight years old. She found her niche playing on defense, helping the club reach second in the State Cup. When she joined the Los Altos High School varsity team during her sophomore year, her experience playing at the national level contributed to the Eagles winning the CCS Division I Championships for the first time in over a decade. That year, she was also awarded co-defensive league MVP.

Even with her accolades, Jessica is a humble, reserved player on the team. As a center-back, she’s anchored the back half of the Eagles’ lineup, with her understanding of the game making her an integral part of the defense.

“Jessica’s very knowledgeable and when she does say something, you know it’s important,” Jessica’s sister and teammate senior Sasha Anderson said. “I know I can always pass it to her because she’s gonna get [the team] out of any situation.”

In her senior season, Jessica strengthened both her technique and communication on the field. Sasha describes her as “calm under pressure,” as she reads the field and keeps the ball out of Los Altos territory. To her teammates, it’s that self-assured aspect of Jessica’s play where she’s grown the most.

“Jessica’s gained a lot more confidence in herself,” teammate senior Katelyn Sacerdoti said. “She can be outgoing in her own quirky way which is really cool.”

Jessica’s presence in the backfield also helped the 12–5–2 Eagles finish first in the De Anza League for the first time ever and reach the postseason for the third time in a row.

“She leads the team as center-back,” Katelyn said. “She can see the whole field and helps everyone with what they should be doing.”

As her skills steadily improved, it didn’t take long for Jessica to begin talking with college coaches who had noticed her impressive resumé. She ultimately chose Colorado College, a small liberal arts institution that competes in the Mountain West Conference. Jessica is currently undecided about her major but is interested in business and economics.

“I wanted a smaller school that was close to home,” Jessica said. “I [also] wanted to make sure that the coach was super nice and that the team’s vibes felt right, and I found that all with Colorado College.”

Jessica has already begun to prepare herself for the intensity of the Division I level by running with Sasha, who also competes in cross country.

Even as she physically improves, one thing will remain the same: her pre-match ritual of walking around the block two times.

“My mom sent me out the first time,” Jessica said. “She’s like, ‘You haven’t done anything today. You have your game, so go walk around the block.’ So I walked around the block twice and then I had a great game. I just kept doing it and it seems to work out.”