TAMPA (March 31, 2016)— Jackie Simpson has been named to the Orlando Pride inaugural preseason roster and has spent the last two weeks training with the team ahead of the upcoming season.
“Playing with the professional team has been very different,” Simpson said. “The level is higher and the speed of play is faster, so it's been an adjustment playing with all of the experienced players. It's been an intense environment but everyone has been welcoming and encouraging so it's been easier to adjust than I anticipated.
Simpson has appeared in all three preseason matches for the Pride, coming off the bench in two, and starting one. She returned to Corbett Stadium on Wednesday, this time playing for the Pride against her alma mater.
“I knew coming into preseason that we would play USF so I just tried to focus on the game itself and not that I was playing my former teammates,” Simpson said. “The team was really supportive and people texted me afterward saying how proud they were of me and that they missed me. It definitely felt weird playing against my friends and I caught myself wanted to tell Allie (Rossi) good job when she made a tackle.”
Simpson's Pride teammates include USWNT members Alex Morgan and Ashlyn Harris, though she hasn't let playing with the best of the best affect her.
“It's definitely intimidating at first, but you can't really think about their reputations and how good they are,” she said. “You have to think of them as your teammates and peers and play to the best of your ability. They definitely make you raise your level and hold yourself to a higher standard so playing with them has been a great opportunity for me to grow.”
Simpson was honored in 2015 as the American Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year after a stellar season that included the senior recording four goals on the year. Simpson anchored a back line that limited opponents to just 9.6 shots per game, while recording 12 shutouts. The Lithia, Fla. native recorded four goals on the season, including the game-winner and only goal against conference champion UConn in the conference opener.
In four years at USF, Simpson played in 78 games, recording eight goals and three assists. She was named to the American Athletic Conference second team as a junior and earned multiple player of the week honors in her career.
For more information on the USF women's soccer team, visit @USFWSOC on Twitter.
The USF women's soccer team has posted three consecutive 10-plus win seasons and four in the last five years under head coach Denise Schilte-Brown. The Bulls made their first NCAA tournament appearance in 2010 and returned in 2014. USF returns 20 players from last year's roster including All-American Athletic Conference first team midfielder Olivia Chance and second team defender Jackie Simpson. They also bring back 12 players that appeared in 15 or more games last season.
- #GoBulls -
