Jen Spicer will spend her next four years playing soccer for Long Island University (LIU) in Brooklyn. The Shelton girls soccer team’s senior tri-captain made it official Wednesday morning when she signed her letter of intent to play soccer for the Lady Blackbirds.
“It’s a pretty nice feeling,” Spicer said. “You always want it [playing Division I soccer] and it’s a big goal to reach. It’s cool to now see it become a reality.”
Shelton Coach Marvin Miller said Spicer worked hard to achieve her goal.
“I’m just thrilled for Jen. One of the rewards for a coach is to see an athlete get this. She worked hard for 15 years for this and I can’t fathom the sacrifices she made to reach this goal she set for herself,” Miller said.
Spicer dominates the soccer field on offense. She received many awards, starting with First Team All-SCC, First Team All-State and the biggest award, First Team All-New England.
She was also Shelton’s Offensive MVP, the Connecticut Girls High School Coaches Association MVP and the Greater New Haven Officials Outstanding Female Player.
“I’m very grateful for the recognition I received,” Spicer said. “I had a great team behind me and they helped me out.”
She was also selected to play in the Senior All-Star game.
“I was honored to be picked because there were so many amazing players in it and it was good to play together with them,” Spicer said.
On The Field
Possessing a nose for the net made her lethal on offense as she led the Gaelettes in scoring with 12 goals and 20 assists for 32 points. Her stellar play catapulted Shelton into the Class LL quarterfinals, where it lost to eventual champion Westhill, 2 – 0.
“I always try my hardest and I’m a team player and get help from my teammates,” Spicer said. “I’m not perfect and I still work for it. I persevere and if one shot doesn’t go in, I hope the next one does.”
Shooting isn’t the 5‑foot‑4 Spicer’s only strength. She’s also a deft passer and adroitly finds open teammates, setting them up in an ideal shooting position, which led to 20 Gaelette tallies.
Junior year, the year she became a forward, she had 17 goals and 10 assists for the Gaelettes. She played center midfield her freshman and sophomore year and touched the ball frequently.
Adjusting to forward wasn’t a problem because that’s her position for her South Central Premier team.
“Jen’s been an incredible contributor to the program for the last four years and a lot of our offense centered around her,” Miller said.
Life on the soccer field began for her at age 3.5 and she’ll always be grateful for it.
“I fell in love with it and played it ever since,” Spicer said. “I love it because my teammates are like a family and I love [learning] the values of sportsmanship and perseverance by playing a sport I love.”
Basketball
Spicer also excels at basketball and is a captain for the Shelton girls basketball team. She began playing roundball at age 5 at the Valley YMCA and always liked it, albeit not as much as soccer.
Being she’s only 5 – 4, she either plays as a point guard or a shooting guard and averaged 5.4 points per game last year. Unlike in soccer, her focus is mostly on defense on the court as she had 43 steals and forced seven 5‑second violations last year.
“Defense is all about effort and I’m willing to do the best I can and play as hard as I can,” Spicer said.
Off The Court
Athletics isn’t the only thing she excels at.
She also excels in the classroom with a 3.61 grade point average, earning honor roll every quarter since freshman year and membership into the National Honor Society, Spanish Honor Society and Cap Scholar. In addition, she’s president of the Key Club.
“It definitely teaches you good time management skills,” Spicer said. “When you come home from a game or practice, school comes first and you have to study hard.”
Miller and his team will miss her next year.
“It will be a big loss to the program but she prepared the girls behind her,” Miller says. She leaves a fine legacy and created a winning attitude for the program. Jen’s genuinely a good kid and is fun to be around.”
At LIU, she will be majoring in athletic training. She knows in order to excel for the Lady Blackbirds, she’ll have to raise her game to the next level because she’ll face bigger, faster and stronger players.
“I’m very excited because I’m able to take my soccer career to the next level,” Spicer said. “I have to work more, play harder and strengthen every part of my game. You’re an underdog when you go in as a freshman.”
