Rancho Santa Fe resident Jackie Friedman scores winning goal in overtime at Surf College Cup.

By Karen

Billing

Over Thanksgiving weekend the San Diego Polo Field was swarmed by Surf College Cup soccer action. The San Diego Surf White under-17 girls brought home the championship, beating the So Cal Blue Pearson team 3-2, on a dramatic overtime goal by Rancho Santa Fe’s Jackie Friedman.

Friedman, a Torrey Pines High School junior, scored the “golden goal” in the match when the ball bounced out to her in the 6-yard box. She volleyed the ball and it hit the upper cross bar and went into the net.

“Everyone ran on the field screaming, we were in a cluster jumping up and down, it was really exciting,” Jackie said.

This particular group of girls has won seven Surf Cup championships together and is currently ranked third in the nation among under-17 girls teams.

“It was a really big deal,” said Jackie, 16. “For all of our seniors, this was their last official game on the polo fields and many of them have been playing there since they were 8 years old, two times a week for the entire year. It’s really a home place for them so it was really great to win the last year that we had them.”

Jackie started playing soccer when she was 5 years old, for the Rancho Santa Fe Attack. Jackie has also played varsity for Torrey Pines since she was a freshman; last year she was a member of the Avocado League championship winning team. Winning a CIF section championship as a Falcon remains a goal.

Jackie has been a member of Surf White since they were an under-11 crew. The team has traveled to play in tournaments in Hawaii, New Mexico, Boston and, last week, to North Carolina to play in the Elite Clubs National League Final Four tournament.

All that time together has created a pretty tight group, said Jackie, “It’s a real special group of girls.”

While they’re away on tournaments, the girls always set aside time to study so they don’t get behind in school—Jackie’s grades have earned her membership in the National Honor Society at Torrey Pines.

The Elite tournament is a great place for the players to get college exposure—it’s held in the same place as the NCAA Women’s College Cup so the girls check out college team matches and college coaches can also scout them when they play.

Although still a junior, Jackie is interested in the soccer programs at University of Pennsylvania, University of Austin and University of Southern California.

“I hope to get into a good college and soccer can help me get there,” Jackie said. “I can use soccer to get a better education.”