On May 1st, Elkhorn North girls soccer faced off against Lincoln Northwest. Senior Jordan Zielinski scored a goal and had two assists during the match. This was Zielinski’s first time on the field since breaking her foot in March.
“She may not be playing a whole lot of time, but the time she’s in, it makes a big difference,” sophomore Mia Turner said.
With Zielinski’s foot still being broken, she takes her boot off to play before every game and practice. During the game she played around five to ten minutes and was able to make a huge impact in her limited time. Even when Zielinski isn’t in the game, she is on the sidelines cheering her team on.
While Zelinski was out, freshmen Anna Bartholomew and Regan Freeman had to step up and play Zelinkski’s position, forward. Being a freshman taking on a seniors role can be challenging, but she was willing to help.
“I am hoping that she (Zielinski) showed her teammates how to step up and battle through adversity or difficulty,” head coach Troy Stoller said.
The girls on the team were able to see Zielinski stay positive and involved on the team during her time out, and they have seen her come back while still pushing through.
“I think her injury has helped her realize that soccer doesn’t define her, and that’s not the only thing that matters in life,” Turner said.
Zielinski was originally committed to Bellevue University to play soccer, but decommitted and is now attending college at Midland.
The underclassmen have seen how she has handled her injury, and will be able to have a role model to look up to if they are ever in the same situation.
“Zielinski is as tough as they come, so I’m hoping that her experience will be an example for the future years, especially for the younger girls on our team,” Stoller said.
