'A minnow in a huge ocean'

When F.W. Springstead goalkeeper Jennifer Jean DeFrancesco graduated from the Mariner Boulevard campus in 2008, she appeared well on her way to a promising career in collegiate soccer.
And why not?
DeFrancesco was one of the key ingredients for the 2007-08 Lady Eagles' soccer team that finished 17-4-4 under Head Coach Polo Furlong.
That season, behind a senior-dominated defense, SHS registered a county-record 16 shutouts with DeFrancesco between the pipes.
The prep campaign concluded on a down note as the Lady Eagles dropped the 4A-8 title game at Nature Coast Technical's Shark Tank Stadium, 1-0, in triple overtime on penalty kicks (3-1) to rival Hudson.
In the regional playoffs, the Spring Hill exited after one round following a 4-0 loss in Orange County to perennial power Orlando-Bishop Moore Catholic, 4-0.
When the curtains came down, SHS had permitted less than one goal per game, allowing 18 goals in 25 matches.
Meanwhile at Babson Park, NAIA's Webber International hired a former standout, Jami Hagy, to guide its women's soccer program.
Coach Hagy, who showed guts going through six knee surgeries as a player, actively recruited the area and was seeking a backup keeper.
Enter DeFrancesco, who signed a national letter-of-intent to attend the Polk County school.

DeFrancesco 101

Jennifer, the youngest of five children to Spring Hill's Frank and Gerrie DeFrancesco, was primed to attend her first day of classes two hours from her Hernando County home. As she was about to depart, Jen's oldest brother, 30-year-old Jacob Cook, was tragically killed in a motorcycle accident off U.S. 19.
Gerrie DeFrancesco was concerned Jacob's death would consume Jennifer.
"Jen took on the adversity and instead of allowing it to affect her and basically beat her down. She stepped forward and stayed motivated," recalled her mother.
DeFrancesco, who graduated with a 3.2 GPA from Springstead, earned a 4.0 GPA during her first semester in Polk County and followed with a 3.8 in her next semester.
According to her mother, DeFrancesco struggled in her third semester.
"We let our guard down as parents," recalled Gerrie DeFrancesco. "And we made it crystal clear to Jen that her grades came first. If she did not receive good grades, we'd pull the plug."
Apparently, the now 20-year-old business major and sports management minor has heeded her parent's words, and is currently carrying a 2.8 GPA.
"When Jen was at Springstead she was the proverbial big fish in a little pond," described Mrs. DeFrancesco. "But it's a hard transition into the real world. Now in the grand scheme of things she's a minnow in a huge ocean."

Starting slowly at WIU

Instead of starting on the pitch, DeFrancesco began her collegiate career learning her craft from the bench.
According to the 5-foot-4 brunette with brown eyes, "I barely played as a freshman. Then this season we had three keepers. We had a senior, I was a sophomore and we had a freshman.
"When the senior got hurt, the freshman and I rotated in and out," said DeFrancesco. "But when the senior got healthy enough, she was the starter and played almost exclusively."
WIU enjoyed a fine season finishing 11-5-1 overall and second in the Sun Conference at 7-2. In fact, for the first time ever the Warriors qualified for postseason play in back-to-back seasons.
Despite the lack of playing time, DeFrancesco yearns to return to the pitch on a fulltime basis.
"What I've learned most is at this level the intensity is very high," said DeFrancesco. "If one player goes down, we have another player capable of stepping up and moving in to do the job. Even though its NAIA, we train like there's no tomorrow.
"At this level, as players, we don't care who plays, but you've got to produce," said DeFrancesco. "The point is to get better."
Is there a familiar pattern?
"It's kinda like playing middle school soccer and then moving up to high school ball," DeFrancesco said. "It's the same game, but the skill level and intensity are different. Same with high school ball to college. It's challenging to go from one level to the next. When you get here, you've got to have confidence.
"I do miss playing at Springstead terribly," said DeFrancesco. "Because I did so much there. But Springstead started to prepare me for the next level.
"For me it's not about setting records, it's personal," DeFrancesco said. "It's about learning to become a better player. At this level, no one holds your hand; you've got to learn to do things on your own. That's hard for a lot of people, but not me.
"I have a good relationship with Coach Hagy," described DeFrancesco. "As a former player, she understands what it's like. As a coach I also know she'll tell it to me how it is. While some of the other players condition twice a day, I condition sometimes four times a day.
"We play year-round," added DeFrancesco. "We've even got a match Saturday against Eckerd. Coach Hagy wants me to improve my conditioning. She wants me to be quicker. I'm swimming and doing elliptical and agilities for extra conditioning."
That's exactly what smaller fish do to survive in the large ponds.