Last week, Jordan Walker, forward for UTSA women’s soccer, received the American Athletic Conference’s weekly Honorable Mention after scoring the equalizer goal in a crucial twenty-two second scoring drive against University of North Texas. Walker is in her senior year and in her last season at UTSA.
Originally from Burleson, Texas, Walker began playing soccer at just three years old. She tried out numerous sports including basketball, volleyball and track, but for Walker, soccer is number one in her heart.
“I feel like the biggest thing for me was the physical contact, being able to push people over whenever I lose the ball whereas basketball, whenever you push someone over it’s a foul,” Walker said. “That was the biggest thing; it was more competitive and more individually driven but also a team sport.”
Throughout her athletic career, Walker’s parents have been her number one supporters, cheering her on since day one.
“They’ve missed very few games,” Walker said. “Growing up my dad was my club coach so he was at every single game; even if I wasn’t there, he was there. My parents are always here; they always travel — even away games they’ll be there, conference tournaments — you can always see them in the stands.”
Walker is currently majoring in business management. In her free time, she focuses on her school work or spends time with her dog Dak, a mini Aussie, who will soon be turning a year old. She also likes to spend time cooking, baking and making a nighttime tea. A few other crucial things to know that make Walker who she is, beyond her love for soccer of course, is that she loves ice cream, her dogs and dancing.
“Vanilla Blue Bell with a scoop of peanut butter and you mix it up, it’s the best thing ever,” Walker said.
Of course, you can’t dance without music, and the pre-game playlist is a crucial part of any athlete’s routine. Walker’s warm up playlist is carefully crafted to get her into a game time mindset.
“It’s a lot of ‘in your feels’ and gets me mad so that I’m ready to go out there. I have a good mix. It can go from hardcore rap, sometimes I do worship music, just everything,” Walker said. It’s not a different vibe every time but rather “It’s all the vibes every time.”
Coming from a small town like Burleson, Walker knew she wanted to go to college in a big town to experience new things outside of the sport.
“Being here in San Antonio there’s so much community and it varies. There’s so many things you can do so when I’m not playing soccer it’s easy to get out and find something fun,” Walker said.
Walker says winning the 2022 Conference USA Championship has been one of the biggest highlights for her so far, and she hopes to do it again this year.
“I want to feel that feeling again,” Walker said. “This season I definitely want to go to the conference tournament and get another ring. I feel like a big part of that is going to come from our upperclassmen and me personally. A lot of it’s going to depend on our performance, so I’m just doing everything I can to score goals for the team, to lead the team and to get us to win another conference championship,” Walker said. “As far as afterwards, I want to play pro.”
“I really want to travel and I would love to play overseas somewhere and experience a different culture, different vibe, meet new people and just see a different part of the world. Whether that’s going to Australia for a while then moving to Europe, whatever it is, just using soccer and my talents to travel and explore.”
Walker hopes that by traveling she will continue to develop her skills inside and outside of the sport.
“It’s like a whole different style; you just learn more as well,” Walker said.
For Walker, soccer is life. Not just a sport, but a lifetime commitment that means everything to her.
“It’s very hard for me to separate social and school and all that and soccer. A lot of days it’s like we had a good game, we won, I’m gonna be in a really good mood so it means a lot, Walker said. “I want to win, I want to be the best there is and honestly just do whatever I can to help the team.”
As her senior season comes to a close, Walker reflects on how far she’s come in her athletic career.
“Your hard work paid off,” Walker said as if she were communicating with her younger self.
“Everything I’ve done since I was three, seeing it all play out in a positive way and seeing the amazing person I’ve become and all the people around me that have helped me, because I wouldn’t be here without those people. I’m proud of myself and that hard work was not for nothing,” Walker said. “Even now, making the sacrifices you do, like not going and doing something on the weekend and instead staying at home and resting for a game. Knowing that my whole entire life when I had to miss birthday parties or miss school events because I had a club game, it’s like, you know, all of that was not for no reason.”
Despite all the sacrifice that comes with being a collegiate athlete, Walker manages it well. She’s come so far in her athletic career and hopes to go even further. Already a successful young athlete, Walker still has goals she strives to accomplish but remains focused and takes it one game at a time.
