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Marquette Wire

The student news site of Marquette University

Marquette Wire

The student news site of Marquette University

Marquette Wire

Marquette Women’s Soccer: Jermier’s left foot could pay off in the fall

Rachel Brown thinks Jacie Jermier is progressing well in returning from a broken leg. Photo by Elise Krivit/[email protected]

Barcelona’s Lionel Messi is the best soccer player on the planet right now, and the foot he kicks with may have something to do with it. It is rare to find a soccer player who is naturally left-footed. Former Marquette star defender Kerry McBride kicked lefty, but her strong leg was actually her right.

That’s why freshman midfielder Jacie Jermier could play a critical role in the Marquette women’s soccer team’s success next season.

Jermier’s ability to take free kicks and corner kicks from the right side with her left foot could be difficult for opponents to defend against.

“We can use my left foot as an advantage where I can cut in and have a shot from a different angle than teams are used to seeing,” Jermier said. “I can swing a shot differently than most people.”

Jermier broke her fibula in August before last season started and was forced to redshirt but deemed herself back at 100 percent and ready for the fall.

Junior midfielder Rachel Brown said Jermier needs to keep improving her consistency, but Brown thinks Jermier’s background as a cross-country runner in high school should help her conditioning.

“I think she has been coming back great,” Brown said. “Right when she came back, she struggled because she wasn’t in shape right away, but I think she’s been keeping up great.”

Jermier has made an impact on the pitch this spring, scoring a goal in the Golden Eagles’ 2-0 win against Northwestern on April 2. She also had an assist on freshman forward Shalese Miller’s goal in a 5-2 win over Loyola Illinois on March 26.

Coach Markus Roeders is impressed with Jermier’s performance this spring coming back from injury and said the freshman will be in the mix with everyone else for playing time in the fall.

“We have to give her a little bit of time despite having been around in the fall,” Roeders said. “You still have to go through the day-to-day rigors of being out there and learning and being exposed.”

Jermier was a four-year letter winner in high school at McFarland (Wis.). She led the team in assists as a sophomore and had the most goals on the team her junior year.

Like many of the Wisconsin natives on the Marquette roster, Jermier was a member of FC Milwaukee and was part of the team that won the Region II Championship in 2011.

Jermier has admitted to a bit of rust in her game after being out for several months and said the coaching staff has gotten on her a bit for sometimes letting her mind wander on the pitch.

“There was a corner kick the other day, and I had my back turned to the person who was taking the corner for probably a good eight seconds, which is something the coaches tell us never to do,” Jermier said. “That’s something that I should know, but I’m learning still, and it won’t happen again.”

If Jermier is able to turn some of those learning experiences into fuel to get better, fans may see the freshman out on the pitch more than even she expects.

“I’m young still and I need to learn a lot,” Jermier said. “Everyone hopes to play a lot, but I wouldn’t expect to get a ton of minutes, but I think some will be there.”

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