By Marty Gordon
Jordin Harris, a standout soccer player at Christiansburg High School, has announced plans to continue her playing career in the fall at South Carolina State.
She currently is the captain of the girls’ team at CHS and was All-Region Second-Team for the 2021 season. Harris has also played on seven travel teams and a variety of clubs in large showcase tournaments.
Harris said she chose SC State for two reasons: the culture and the ability to make a difference.
“SCSU’s soccer program is facing a journey of rebuilding, and I saw this as a perfect opportunity to be a part of a larger story to pave the way for other girls that will come to this school to play soccer,” she said. “In addition, I will be able to make a name for myself and be a part of something huge. Secondly, the school is classified as a historically black college or university, so I will be a part of a culturally rich environment. I will be surrounded by those who share similar physical traits as me and will be able to embrace that side of me even further and louder.
South Carolina State University is a public, land-grant university in Orangeburg, S.C., with a current enrollment of 2,695. In athletics, the school is a charter member of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC).
Harris was the Most Valuable Player as an eighth grader on the high school junior varsity squad and became captain and a four-year letter winner in high school. With her club, Valley AFC 03 Girls Green, she won the Virginia State Cup title in 2021. The SC State staff feels Harris will provide depth to the Bulldogs attack.
Academically, this May, she will receive both her associates degree and an advanced diploma through a dual enrollment program in high school.
Second-year SC State coach Patrick Horne has rebuilt the women’s program with a young, talented, and enthusiastic recruiting class of 10 new signees and one transfer. The new-look women’s soccer team will field 17 players with various geographic backgrounds during the 2022 season after finishing 2-11 this past year.
Harris said her goal for the field is to help boost the college’s program and get people excited about the South Carolina State women’s soccer program.
“I hope to work with my team as seamlessly as possible and have a successful season,” Harris said. “Additionally, I hope to use my best traits such as my speed and field vision to push the attack on the field and help the team’s goal as a whole. Lastly, I genuinely hope to just become a better player through the whole process and to learn so much more about the game while experiencing it at a different level.”
Harris expects to play in the attacking midfield or on the right side of the field. “In both positions I have the ability to make aggressive attacking plays up the field,” she said.
Harris plans on majoring in political science at SC State.
