Following her high school’s nationals tournament, Jenna Tivnan anxiously waited to make a call that would change her life. Prior to a player’s junior year, coaches can’t contact potential recruits. To get noticed, Tivnan would have to make the call herself. The then-high school freshman nervously texted her club coach to see when she could finally do it: she wanted to call Syracuse head coach Phil Wheddon. Even now, Tivnan can still feel her heart racing.  

Four years after the call, Tivnan is now a freshman at Syracuse (3-11, 0-6 Atlantic coast). A native of Easton, Massachusetts. Tivnan has made the switch to outside back this year after playing center back for her entire high school career. She’s started every game for the Orange this season, tallying six shots.

“I think as a freshman she has come on really strong and is one of our key players,” sophomore defender Shannon Aviza said.

Tivnan knew that she wanted to play soccer since she was four years old. She used to go to all her sister Samantha’s soccer games with her mother, Teri, growing up. When Tivnan decided to play on her own, she signed up for club and played for her school.

“My mom had a talk with me,” she recalled. “She said ‘You’re going to miss birthday parties, you’re going to miss all of this stuff to start playing club soccer.’”

But Tivnan knew that soccer was her passion.

When it came time to pick a school, she had a clear idea. Even though she was also considering other schools in the northeast near her home, when she visited Syracuse in her freshman year, she was hooked.

“I love the cold, too,” Tivnan laughed. “I’m excited for winter.”

Wheddon, who lost former defenders Jessica Vigna and Alana O’Neill to graduation last offseason, said he knew the type of player he brought in. She’s athletic, she reads the game well and is good in the air. And Tivnan can strike the ball with both feet.

“We knew Jenna was a good player coming in and the hope was that she was going to start,” Wheddon said. “We’re lucky to have her.”

The Orange had an opening at the outside back position. Though center back was the only experience she had prior to SU, Tivnan jumped on the opportunity.

Tivnan said the adjustment to the college game has been easier since she’s played with and against a few of her current teammates in Massachusetts before coming to play at Syracuse, primarily through her club soccer team. Aviza played on Tivnan’s club team in the now-freshman’s senior year of high school. The two played together on defense, where Aviza patrolled the right side and Tivnan played on the left. Also, though SU has struggled so far this season, Tivnan’s teammates are not afraid to give constructive criticism on the field.  

“Every day is a learning process. It was kind of baptism by fire (for Jenna), being thrown right in right away, but (she’s) been exceptional,” Wheddon said. “I’m looking for Jenna to be even more confident and composed under some stress and raise her level even more. She’s almost like a veteran at this point.”

Tivnan’s versatility as a player has allowed her to adapt to new positions and roles on the team. Her first in-season game playing outside-back was SU’s season-opener against La Salle.  

“I was scared and nervous at first, you know with first game jitters, but once the first 15 minutes passed, it felt like just a normal game to play,” Tivnan said.  

Published on October 13, 2018 at 11:30 am