The Eastern Michigan University women’s soccer team has five Canadian athletes on its roster this season. Three of them are from Ontario, and the other two are from Alberta.
Jessica Thomas is a defender for the Eagles and stands on her own as the only junior on the team, and the only Canadian upperclassman. She is in her third year, going for a business major in human resource management and a minor in communication at EMU.
“I’m happy here,” she said. “I have made some really good friends. My experience here has been a positive one. I’ve had good classes. Overall, it’s been really fun.”
The college experience has been rewarding for Thomas, who values her education.
“It’s been really fun,” she said. “My first year here was a bit of a rollercoaster. I was so far away from home, and it was my first time around a university atmosphere.”
In her freshman year, Thomas managed to make the Mid-American Conference All-Freshman team, starting in eight games and
playing in another 15.
A teammate and best friend of Thomas, Megan Pedro, said she has been a standout since she got to Ypsilanti. Pedro has been Thomas’s roommate since their freshman year when they first stayed on campus in Putnam Hall.
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She’s handled the transition real well, being that she is far from home,” Pedro said. “I think she has managed to bring Canada to Ypsilanti.”
Thomas said she has seen herself embrace American values, but is ultimately keeping her Canadian ones, as well.
“She is the friendliest person you’ll ever meet,” Pedro said. “She is always positive, constantly smiling and laughing. On the field, when we are struggling through a bad time, she is someone people can look to and lean on for her energy.”
Pedro said Thomas is a very inviting, peppy girl that cares about her grades and obtains a strong work ethic.
“She puts everyone before herself.” Pedro said. “Jessica Thomas is a very passionate person. Classes, friends and soccer are all very important to her. I admire her for how she handles everything.”
The two claim to be very close friends that do everything together on an equally close team.
“The one thing I will remember most about Eastern is Jessica,” Pedro said. “Jessica and I are best friends. It’s soccer that has brought us together. The girls on the team have been like family for all of us. We have a great dynamic. We have faced a lot of situations. I really like our team.”
Pedro said the team has a good atmosphere and good bunch of friends, who generally care about each other. She said the team is very close.
Thomas said: “We confide in each other for support on and off the field. The friends and relationships I have acquired here
have been invaluable. Each year has gotten better.”
Thomas admitted that each year has been very different, including this season’s slow start.
“Soccer-wise, the team is constantly changing,” Thomas said. “We had to overcome a lot of adversity. Never did I think we’d have a season like this. Through the postseason, I thought we’d have a winning season. Despite the losses, we need to stay positive and continue playing for the love of the game.”
To turn this season and the MAC season around, Thomas said the team needs to keep looking ahead and stay away from what has happened in the past.
“We need to continue to fight until the end of the season,” Thomas said. “We need to take it one step at a time, one game at a time.”
Thomas has seen her team change every year and has made new friends each year she has been in the states. She says the
transition from Canada to the United States has been an easy one for her.
“The change wasn’t really drastic for me,” she said. “I’ve always embraced change and having three other Canadians on the team has made the transition easier. We were able to lean on each other for support.”
Thomas does admit the environment in Ypsilanti is different from where she grew up in Calgary, Alberta. She said she used to live near the mountains, where she enjoyed hiking and skiing.
Pedro said, “She is very active. She never watches TV and is always up for something entertaining.”
“She is also very quirky,” Pedro added laughingly. “She’s a complete goof ball; a total dork.”
Thomas said she has always enjoyed being active and considers herself a “tomboy” growing up in Canada. She always looked up to her older brothers, who also played soccer. Although soccer was always her favorite sport, she played volleyball growing up, as well.
“I’ve played soccer since I was five years old and played volleyball since grade seven,” Thomas said. “I went to a lot of showcase tournaments in high school to different places around the United States and Canada. In high school, I was closer to my soccer teammates. I’ve always been more passionate about soccer. In my opinion, soccer’s better.”
Another factor that caused Thomas to choose to pursue soccer after high school instead of volleyball was the opportunity soccer gave her in being able to play collegiately. EMU’s soccer program gave her that opportunity.
The Eagles next game will start at 4 p.m. Friday against Bowling Green State University in Bowling Green, Ohio.
