A standout girls soccer player for the Saucon Valley Panthers recently committed to play for Division 2 West Chester University.
Junior Paige Jones was being recruited by several Division 1 colleges, her mother Laura Thompson explained, but ultimately decided on West Chester University because of its “excellent soccer program” led by Betty Ann Kempf.
“They have made the NCAA tournament for Division 2 the last seven years and are ranked seventh in the country right now,” Thompson said. “Paige will major in math and minor in chemistry.”
She explained that her daughter began playing soccer when she was just four in a youth soccer program at Lehigh University, as well as with the Saucon Valley Youth Soccer Program, under the direction of Johan Sundlof.
Some highlights from her career so far at Saucon Valley include:
- Freshman year: Saucon won the Colonial League championship with a game-winning assist from Paige. The team also won Districts that year. Both were first-time championships for the Saucon girls soccer program.
- Sophomore year: She was a midfielder on the 2nd Team All Star League as well as a 3rd Team All Area player.
- Junior year: Paige broke the school record for leading in assists with 33. She ended the season with 38 assists, which tied the record with boys soccer at Saucon Valley. She was a forward on the 1st Team All Star League as well as a 2nd Team All Area forward.
Stevie Ochse is Jones’ high school coach.
Some other highlights from Paige’s career include:
- Playing for Lehigh Valley United from 2008 to 2012. Paige led the team in goals by winning the Regionals in New Hampshire. LVU went on to compete in California, placing third in the Presidential National Cup, where Paige was the lead scorer.
- Playing for Elite Club National Level team FC Delco from 2012 to 2014. She traveled all over the U.S. while playing for FC Delco.
Paige currently plays for FC Bucks–a team that’s in the running for the State Cup title, Thompson said.
She is also a referee for youth soccer, and volunteers with the youth soccer program at Saucon Valley as well as with Saucon Valley Middle School soccer.
Academically, Jones is a high honors student with a 4.1 GPA and a member of National Honor Society.
Note: This article includes contributed information.