On Friday, Feb. 7, 2020, Council Rock South seniors Sammy and Allie Jones were recognized for committing to continue their soccer careers at Monmouth University. To view photos of the event, please visit the Photo Gallery at the following link: https://solsports.zenfolio.com/p626378838
“We’ve asked both Allie and Sammy to play numerous roles for us over the years, Allie in particular,” coach Nick Heim said. “As freshmen, we knew they were going to be something special. We wanted them to be in a scenario where they could get a lot of reps their freshman year, so they played jayvee. Sophomore year they both started for us, and that was the year we won the league title and made a state run as well. Their skills are just through the roof, and their soccer IQ is incredibly high too. They both have field vision that is obviously the quality that gets you to the Division I level, and more importantly, their work rates are just through the roof. It doesn’t matter what the score is – they don’t want to be out of the game. They want to always have a chance to make an impact on the game.
“They play on an incredibly good club team, and they’re playing all year against good competition. As much as we practice every day, we only get to see them for three months a year. They really are ones that will do a ton of stuff on their own. You can tell they’re the type of kids that from the time they were young they will go into the backyard and dribble a soccer ball and practice moves. You talk to them about a national team game, and I feel like I’m talking to another coach. They talk about movement of players on the field, and you can just tell – they’re students of the game. They really do have a soccer IQ and a work ethic that’s going to make them successful at the next level.
“Their family is super supportive of the program. It’s just a really good family, and it was really good to see them be able to end their (high school) careers together when injuries put that up in the air a little bit. We had 11 seniors this year, and it was a really good group, and they were two of the spectacular ones not just as kids but certainly on the field as well.”
.jpg)
Allie Jones – Monmouth University (Soccer)
Major: Undecided but possibly business
Final list of colleges: Monmouth, Temple
Reasons for choosing Monmouth: “The campus was really pretty, and the girls were really welcoming. We met a couple of the girls when we went on our tour. They were really nice, and the coaching staff was really nice too.”
What was the progression that led you to competing in soccer at the collegiate level? “Even after my injury junior year, I still wanted to play college soccer. I wasn’t sure I was going to get as many looks, but it ended up working out.”
How did being a twin impact your college decision? “We’ve always been on the same team, so it would have been weird if we had gone to different colleges. One school did say (they wanted just one of us), but we weren’t interested in that school as much as we liked Monmouth and Temple.”
Coach Nick Heim says: “Allie missed a big chunk of her senior season. She got hurt in the second to last game of the season last year, and she didn’t suit up the first 60 percent of the games this year. We certainly worked her back in to make her healthy for the playoffs. That was always the goal. Obviously, the main goal was let’s make sure there’s no long-term damage because this girl is going to be playing beyond high school. She always said she wanted to get back and play her senior year. It was a scenario where – ‘Let’s not rush it. If we’re going to have you, we’re going to need you more at the end of the season than the beginning of the year. To her credit, she worked her rear end off to get healthy again.
“Allie played on the outside for us as a sophomore, and I think she caught a lot of people by surprise. Looking back, we don’t get nearly as far as we did without her contributions. Her ability to exploit space is something that you rarely see. You give her three feet of room because you back off of her, and she’ll take you one-on-one and she’ll go by you. If you try and play her too close, she’s just too quick and too gifted when a ball comes to her in terms of turning ability. She’s really a mismatch for defenders. If she’s dribbling at you and she has you on your heels going backwards, she just really thrives on that, and she’s able to exploit you a bit. She’s a great finisher too. Both of them have range from 35 and in, but when she’s in the box, she really is lethal with the ball on her foot. Her junior year she played up top for us and was our leading scorer. She was All-Southeastern Pennsylvania as a junior. She’s just incredibly gifted with the ball.”
About Allie:
Favorite food: Pizza
Favorite TV show: Scandal
Favorite artist: Post Malone
Sammy Jones – Monmouth University (Soccer)
Major: Undecided but possibly business
Final list of schools: Monmouth, Temple
Reasons for choosing Monmouth: “We loved the campus – it was really nice, and the coaches were super nice, the whole team was nice.”
What was the progression that led you to competing in soccer at the collegiate level? “Since I was little and started playing travel soccer, I knew I wanted to go to the college level. We’ve been through a few (club) teams, and it was kind of hard since some of them weren’t as good as others. Now we’re on a team for PDA in New Jersey, and that was where we really started to get offers, which really helped. It was at that time that it really started to pick up.”
How did being a twin impact your college decision? “We always wanted to go to college together. A lot of the college coaches realized we were twins, so that also helped. If someone contacted me, I would say, ‘I have a twin,’ and they would say, ‘Okay, we’ll watch her,’ or ‘We’ve seen her too, and we’re interested in both of you.’ It was pretty much that coaches knew.”
Coach Nick Heim says: “When Allie played on the outside, Sam played on the inside for us. Sammy played more of a central midfielder, and part of it was – with Allie’s absence, we needed to find someone that can be the goal scorer. She was that and more for us this year. Her year this year was absolutely insane at forward for us. She scored against every single opponent on our schedule this year, which is unheard of. For the first 14 games in the regular season, she scored in every single game. It was like that pitcher in baseball that has a no-hitter – you never want to mention it because this kid had scored in every single game. The year that she had was unbelievable.
“She is so good at being able to get kids to shift side to side, and her first two steps out – as soon as she gets a defender going one way – are insanely quick. She had this patented fake shot cut that she did over and over not just in games but in practice every day when her own teammates know it’s coming, and it’s impossible to stop. She’s just so good with the ball at her feet.
About Sammy:
Favorite food: Steak
Favorite TV show: The Vampire Diaries
Favorite artist: Khalid
- Log in to post comments
