By Nicholas Huenefeld/Owens Sports Information
Toledo, Ohio---Jessica Grindle (Northwood/Northwood, Ohio), one of the highest scoring players in Owens Community College women's soccer history, will continue her playing career at Lourdes University.
Grindle, who played for Owens in the fall of 2012 and 2013, stayed in school at Owens this past year before deciding to resume her playing career.
As a sophomore, Grindle produced 23 goals and five assists to lead the program to its first ever Region XII tournament championship and National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division I National Tournament.
The team's top goal scorer and second leading assist producer scored a goal in all four of the team's postseason games. She had the game-winning goal in the Region XII semifinal, the game-tying goal in the team's first national tournament game and the team's lone goal in a 1-1 tie against Butler in the second national tournament game.
Following the season, Grindle was named First Team All-Region XII, Region XII tournament MVP, Region XII All-Tournament Team, NJCAA Division I All-National Tournament Team, NSCAA All-Central Region and NSCAA Second Team All-American.
In an injury shortened freshman year, Grindle had six goals and three assists in just 10 games.
Grindle finished her Owens career with 29 goals and eight assists in 31 games, and she is the program's second highest single season goal scorer, second highest single season points leader (51, 2013), second highest career goal scorer and the second highest career scorer (67).
Prior to Owens, Grindle was a First Team All-NWOSSL, First Team All-District and Second Team All-Ohio player at Northwood High School in Northwood, Ohio. She came to Owens along with fellow Northwood grad, Marissa Ramirez, who is now playing at NCAA Division II Academy of Art University in San Francisco, Calif.
Notes
Grindle is the 24th student-athlete from Owens to join a four-year program this year, and the 52nd in the past two years to do so. Furthermore, she is the 10th women's soccer play to sign with a four-year school in the past two years.
Lourdes University, located in Sylvania, Ohio, competes at the NAIA level. They will have at least seven former Owens players on next year's team along with Grindle, including Erika Brinkman (Kalida/Cloverdale, Ohio), Kendyl Christian (Clay/Oregon, Ohio), Abby Groll (Clay/Oregon, Ohio), Kayla Lehmann (Bedford/Temperance, Mich.), Megan Soncrant (Clay/Oregon, Ohio) and Elizabeth Theaker (Maumee/Maumee, Ohio).