Jenna Thomason’s athletic reputation is soaring after scoring eight goals in the first ten games of the 2012 soccer season.

Although she entered this year’s team as a midfielder, coach Germond saw an opportunity to utilize the 19-year-old’s talents elsewhere on the field. During the team’s first game Germond decided to put the 6 feet 1 inch freshman in the position of forward.

This surprised Thomason, who preferred her role in center midfield. “I went in (the game) as a midfielder, but when I went in the second time I went in as a forward, which was kind of weird,” she said. “I’ve played there before but I wasn’t used to it. I was like ‘Why is he putting, me here? I haven’t been practicing here’.”

While Thomason prefers playing the game center midfield she is becoming accustomed to her new position. “My preferred position is center-mid,” she said. “But I’ve started to like it (playing forward). It’s growing on me.”

No doubt, Germond is happy with his decision to change Thomason’s position and is pleased with her athletic skill. “Her size is very helpful, but also her work rate has been really good,” he said.

Thomason was introduced to soccer at an early age and began playing alongside her brothers at the age of four. “My brothers had all played it before, “Thomason explained. “So I just kind of did what they did.”

Thomason realized her athletic potential during her sophomore year playing on the varsity soccer team at Bullard High School. “I remember I didn’t start my first game,” she said. “When I went in I ended up playing really well. Then after that I ended up starting the rest of my high school season.”

Thomason has many memories playing for the Bullard varsity team. Her favorite memory was from her junior year. “My team won Valley,” she said, “Then we went to state finals my junior year.”  Thomason says the following year on the team proved more difficult, as they were knocked out during the semi-finals. “We lost against Buchannan, who we beat the year before in Valley,” she said. “That was kind disappointing.”

After graduating from Bullard, Thomason wanted to stay “close to home” and decided to attend Fresno City College. “I wanted to continue playing soccer, for sure,” she said. “And I knew their (FCC) soccer program was really good, so I figured it would be the perfect school for me.”

Thomason admits that college soccer is more demanding than she anticipated. “It’s a lot more fast-paced,” she said. “And it definitely requires more fitness.”

Thomason said she and the team are on a strict diet. “We can’t have any desserts at all,” she said. “We are constantly drinking and eating right.” Even when traveling, Thomason says the team is required to make healthy choices. “When we go on trips we only get Chipoltle or something like that. They make sure we stop at good places,” she said.

Thomason is fond of Germond and  assistant coach Drew Mattos.

“I’ve learned a lot from them. They are both really good coaches. There’s nothing bad to say about them at all,” she said.

Thomason, also, enjoys her teammates and is looking forward to a time when the entire team has an opportunity to enjoy a leisure activity off the soccer field.

“We’ve been wanting to all get together to do something fun,” she said. “It just hasn’t happened yet.”

Thomason credits her team for her success this season. “Our defense is really good. I feel really confident with all of them back there.” she said. “It is a reassuring thing.”

While Thomason is content with the team’s performance so far, she believes there is room for improvement. “I think we need to score more and finish more opportunities,” she said. “We’ll play against teams that I feel we are way better than. We’ll control the game, but we just don’t seem to score as much.”

Nevertheless, she has full confidence that the team will make these improvements.

“I think we have really good potential,” she said. “We are a great team. We’ve gotten a lot better and I think we will just keep getting better.”

Thomason is the first member of her immediate family to participate in college sports. “They are proud of me that I have been doing well and scoring goals,” she said. She is also encouraged by her three older brothers “They have always told me to do my best,” she said. “When they hear about the results of the games they seem really happy and proud of me.”

Currently, Thomason is taking 16 units at FCC. “It’s a little challenging with soccer,” she said. “But I am trying to push through it.”

Still undecided in regards to her major and future academic plans, Thomason is certain that her love for soccer will remain for a long time to come. “I feel like I will still want to play soccer (after her time at FCC is finished). I know if I were to stop I’d miss it.”