FC Stars standout Jordan Juetten verbally commits to Colgate

Jordan Juetten has played four seasons in the ECNL with FC Stars. (courtesy photo)

The FC Stars connections at Colgate University run deep.

Assistant coach Alyssa Manoogian (Peabody, Mass.) played for the club during the late 2000s. Current first-years Ruby Diodati (Mendon, Mass.) and Hannah Pinkus (Manchester Center, Vt.) are alumnae of the club, both starting at least 13 games this past fall. Coming next fall is defender Abbie Grady (Sterling, Mass.), a current Elite Clubs National League player.

That pipeline is set to further continue, as Class of 2021 midfielder Jordan Juetten has verbally committed to the Patriot League program. Juetten, a 15-year-old from Shrewsbury, Mass., captains FC Stars’ 2003 ECNL East team.

“I just thought it was perfect fit for me academically and with soccer,” Juetten said. “I didn’t want to be super close to home, but also far enough away. I’ve always been trying to take the toughest classes and pushing myself on the field.”

The former is sure to come at Colgate, while the latter should in abundance, too.

Under head coach Kathy Brawn, Colgate has captured 12 Patriot League tournaments and made six NCAA tournaments. The conference has been led by Boston University as of late, another program with strong FC Stars connections.

Combine the academics, soccer and college-town charm of Hamilton, N.Y., and Juetten was hooked.

“I wanted a great academic school, but also one that was competitive and having appearances in the NCAA tournament,” Juetten said. “I wanted a team that challenged me and pushed me.”

Juetten has played for FC Stars all throughout her club soccer career, joining the ECNL in 2014 while playing up. Last year, she played in the Development Academy, but returned to the ECNL for 2018-19 under head coach James Blackwell as the club left the DA to create two ECNL programs.

A two-way midfielder who can play out wide or centrally, Juetten is an attacking threat with goals or assists. She’s also the first player on her ECNL team to commit, a step that she feels doesn’t come with any added pressure.

“It seems like I’m done, but when you commit it’s just starting,” Juetten said. “My mentality is to prepare so that when I step on the field I can be the best player I can be and get as many minutes as I deserve. Going to showcases, it’ll give me more of an opportunity to love playing and make my teammates look good. Others will get into it now soon. It’s a team sport.”

At the very least, Juetten can take a deep breath knowing her college soccer future is sorted out. After all, ECNL play resumes March 16 and the next national recruiting event comes February 17-19 in Houston, Texas.