A defender in the sport of soccer does not see the publicity or the eye-popping stats that a forward or even midfielder may get. Their work often goes unnoticed, outside of shutouts. But senior defender and captain Jocelyn Fowler of the Parkland High School girls soccer team was noticed for her play this season.

Fowler earned all-state honors for the first time in her career last week. It marked a fitting end to a stellar career with the Trojans.

“It’s a great honor to be selected for the all-state team,” said Fowler. “I am aware that the competition around the Lehigh Valley is amazing and the moment I got the phone call I was very grateful. Being a defender makes it harder to be recognized, especially when a lot of honors are based off of statistics. That makes this recognition even all the more special. To me that means all my hard work paid off and was recognized. Being that soccer is a team sport, I couldn’t have gotten here without my coaches, teammates, and family.”

This year’s Pennsylvania Soccer Coaches Association All-State team includes 23 forwards, 19 midfielders but just nine defenders and a pair of goal keepers. Fowler is the first Trojan in recent memory to earn all-state recognition as a defender.

After a disappointing ending to the 2019 season for Parkland, Fowler did not want to feel that feeling again in her final season, so she worked hard to be able to help her team win.

“During the high school season, we practiced six out of seven days of the week,” Fowler said. “In the offseason, my club team practices 3-4 times a week, along with games and tournaments on the weekend. Growing up, I have been very fortunate with being able to play with one of the best teams in the state, alongside other players who have received all-state as well. This drives me to play the absolute hardest I can and makes me play at a higher level with maximum effort.

“I went into every game knowing I needed to give it my all. The only person that can push me to the absolute limit is myself, and I make sure to do that. I doesn’t hurt that soccer is my passion.”

Parkland, like every other high school team this season was unsure if it would play or for how long. The Trojans were able to get in a season and culminate it with a District 11 4A championship, their fifth in the last six seasons and first since 2018.

“Based on the impact of the Coronavirus, my teammates and I knew how fortunate we were to even have a season,” said Fowler. “The girls and I were very careful with the people we would be around and what was going on around us because we wanted whatever kind of season we could get. Every day we didn’t know if that was going to be our last time together. That definitely made us work harder and more driven to get the district chip. Parkland has a winning mentality, especially the girls soccer team, so winning the district final meant a lot of us and we are glad to keep the winning tradition going.”

The next step in Fowler’s journey is becoming a college student-athlete at Kutztown University. She is set to enroll and play for the Golden Bears next fall.