SENATOBIA – The march to a record-breaking career has been a joy to watch for everyone involved with the Northwest Mississippi Community College women's soccer team and the Rangers gathered on Wednesday afternoon at the Ranger Soccer complex to celebrate with a ceremony as the team signed a ball and a jersey for sophomore Emma Jensen to recognize the work that it took to put her alone in the NWCC record books.
Just five days earlier, as Emma Jensen stood over a free kick from just outside of the 18-yard box with the Ranger's trailing Pearl River by a goal, those watching could feel that the moment had arrived. A strike to the top left corner of the goal not only brought the women even with the Wildcats but took Jensen to a place no other Ranger had been before, marking the 40th goal of her career.
"I'm obviously so proud. For me it's more the person than the player," Head Coach James Beattie said. "Everyone knows she's an insane player but as a person she's next level as well."
Echoing this, Jensen said the bigger part of the moment to her was that she brought the team back even in an important game for the season and not just for her legacy.
"It's amazing to have this individual and record but the most important thing is about the team winning a state championship and a national championship," she said. "Yes, it's cool to have it but it's not a 'I wanted to have that'. It's not what I came here for."
The goal moved the German midfielder past Jessica Yelvington who set the mark in 2005. It's also not the only mark that Jensen has surpassed in recent games, jumping past Yelvington's career points mark against Itawamba Community College when she scored a pair of goals, giving her 89 points in her career to stand alone. That mark now stands at 93 career points.
"It's not just the points or the goals," Beattie said. "Left foot, right foot, header, small distance, big distance, there's virtually nothing that she can't do when it comes to soccer. For me, I'm just proud and it's crazy that we are closer to the end of the story than the start, but I hope that we end the story in a positive way. It's what she deserves and what the team deserves."
Beattie added that she has done it all while being a part of a team and making everyone around her better along the way.
"In my coaching and playing career, you've got people that break records or are good athletes but are not good people. She's outstanding. I'm just so happy for her and the legacy she's left that will always be there."
Jensen is one of the first to also bring up that this record wouldn't be possible without the rest of the Rangers around her.
"You have to have luck and be on the right team and have the right coach. Having the good stuff around you. It's not just the player that can affect that," she said.
Now that the record is behind her, Jensen and the Rangers can now focus on the overall goal of defending their national championship and keeping what has been a program record of 33 straight wins going, heading into a stretch of matches which will have them facing three top ten teams in the next three matches. But if the team continues to succeed, then a large part will be due to the efforts of what Jensen can provide as a true captain for the team. For her, that just means going out and playing the game that she loves and bringing a true passion every time she laces up the cleats.
"I just am having fun playing soccer," she said. "If you just play every day, I don't think you get records like that. You have to really love the game and be able to do more for it."
As for her coach, Beattie is just enjoying watching her on the ride and is hoping it takes her to a place only a special few can get to.
"Hopefully she continues to score goals and make assists and make it impossible to catch and then if anyone catches it, then they must be a hell of a player."
