Photos by Chris Tierney
Jordan Vanderloo | Elkhorn South | Junior
Basketball might be the sport of choice for someone whose father is an assistant men’s basketball coach at Creighton University. But not fifteen-year-old Jordan Vanderloo. Though she does play basketball in the winter to keep her body and skills sharp, Jordan has loved soccer nearly all her life.
Jordan took to soccer at the age of four and hasn’t looked back. Growing up in Sioux City, Iowa, before moving to Omaha in the fifth grade, Jordan played soccer on local YMCA leagues where her talents blossomed. She then turned her attention to the high school soccer teams at Elkhorn South.
As a freshman, Jordan joined the school’s DECA and SADD organizations and took the school’s soccer club by storm. Playing her favorite position, right forward, she was the only freshman in her class to win a spot on the school’s Varsity team. In 17 games, Jordan scored six goals that year and lettered for her accomplishment. Then, just two weeks into the sophomore soccer season, Jordan found herself at a crossroads.
The teen suffered an ACL injury that kept her out the remainder of the season. Initially disheartened, Jordan’s mother, Kori Vanderloo said Jordan quickly bounced back with a smile on her face. “Jorden knew this injury ‘wasn’t the end of life,’ and I knew Jordan would come back to the soccer fields stronger and better through hard work and rehab.”
Jordan renews her soccer career this fall as a junior. As for college, Jordan said she is still undecided and uncommitted to Creighton or any others. Whether on the field or off, Jordan has learned from her experiences, and she advises her peers “to always be good teammates, encourage those around you, and know that hard work always pays off.”
