Following a 10-8 season a year ago, the Jordan girls soccer team is working hard to improve its fortunes this time around. 

So far, so good. 

Jordan won its first three games this season, two of them by three or more goals. The Beetdiggers don’t have a specific record in mind, but head coach Justin Jahnke is confident that the girls will give it their all each time they step onto the field. 

“My goals align with the girls’ goals: learn, grow, have fun,” Jahnke said. “Our expectations are the same also: always give our 100% effort. Everyone’s 100% might look different, but we’re going to trust that everyone on the team is putting the team first.” 

Jordan won its first game of the season 1-0 at Logan on Aug. 5. It followed this shutout with a 5-2 win at Bear River and a 7-0 blowout over Taylorsville in the home opener. It has been evident to Jahnke that the girls have a close bond, trust one another on the field and enjoy competing together. 

“The coaching staff and our girls are very excited to start our season,” he said. “This is the most connected group I’ve felt so far since I took over. You can feel that the girls like playing soccer together, and they talk to each other constantly—on the field, off the field and even when I'm trying to coach.”

Though the Beetdiggers got the 2025 campaign off on the right foot this season, Jahnke knows there will be some bumps in the road and times when the girls will need to be resilient and mentally tough. He hopes the players won’t get too low after a setback or too high after success. 

“To accomplish team goals and make the season a success, we need to learn from wins and losses equally, using them as a growth opportunity and not taking anything for granted,” Jahnke said. “There are numerous moments within a match, as well as before and after a match; we will try to live in the moment and not let it be too big for us.”

The Beetdiggers are a senior-laden team, which bodes well for leadership and other intangible qualities that Jahnke relies on. Jordan has other players with experience playing at a high level.

Junior goalkeeper June Joseph is someone Jahnke is counting on to be an example on and off the field. She was a second-team All-State and first-team All-Region performer last season. Joseph posted eight shutouts in the regular season in 2024. She plays for Wasatch SC throughout the year and is a multi-sport player at Jordan, having been on the girls basketball team last winter. 

“[Joseph] is a pure leader,” Jahnke said. “She was voted a captain as a sophomore, and our girls really respond to her leadership.”

Emberly Camacho, just a sophomore, excels in the midfield. She started last season as a freshman and was second-team All-Region. She also paced the Beetdiggers in assists a season ago. Her club team is Sparta 2010 Premier. 

“[Camacho] is a silent worker,” Jahnke said. “She matches that work ethic with an immense talent.”

Another sophomore, Sydney Vessey, is one of the team’s top offensive players. The forward had 10 goals as a freshman a season ago and was named first-team All-Region. She plays for Utah Celtic FC’s 2010 Girls Academy team. 

“[Vessey] is an explosive striker,” Jahnke said. “When the ball is on her foot, we feel like anything can happen.”

Senior defender Kyrie Evans is another player to watch for Jordan this season. The four-year varsity player earned time as a freshman and has been a fixture in the starting lineup since her sophomore year. She is a team leader and enjoys success in another sport at Jordan: track and field. Her club team is the Sandy-based Blue Knights Soccer Club. 

Jahnke admires the girls for their hard work and dedication, not only to soccer but to academics and all the challenges they face in life. One of his biggest objectives is to make sure the girls are mentally tough and coping with any struggles they have.

“We will be looking to constantly grow our resiliency,” he said. “Our girls deal with so much during the season: academic pressure to succeed, social pressure to still have a life while going to school and playing soccer, and, of course, in-season pressure to perform. We’ve enlisted a former assistant coach of mine to help us with that, Aubrie Van Leeuwen. She was on staff with me my first year and has been awesome to reconnect with and to work with.”

The Beetdiggers compete in Region 10 of Class 4A, where they finished 6-6 a year ago. Tooele, Stansbury and Hillcrest are no longer part of the region, but Jordan must now face Judge Memorial, Juan Diego, Highland and East. Park City, last year’s region champion and a state quarterfinalist, will once again be the team to beat in Region 10, Jahnke said. Another tough test will be Murray, which beat Jordan once out of two tries last season, not to mention Cottonwood, which took Jordan to double overtime a year ago. 

“We’re excited for the challenge,” Jahnke said. 

Jordan wraps up the regular season Oct. 3 at home against Murray. Jahnke loves the way his team is playing and believes the girls are capable of great things this season. He loves coaching this group and appreciates everything the girls do for one another and the team. 

“I have coached this group since they were freshmen, and they’ve stayed together all four years,” he said. “Along with that, we have gained some players who have really fit in with this bunch. The girls know how to be inclusive and have fun, but they also know when it’s time to lock in and focus.”