Jones ready to bring toughness to Dalton State
It had been several years since the LFO girls’ soccer team had seen a player sign on to play at the collegiate level before senior Jordan Carver recently put her name on a letter of intent to play at Shorter.
The Lady Warriors didn’t have to wait nearly as long for the next one.
Senior Faith Jones became the second LFO girls’ player to sign soccer papers this spring as she inked with nearly Dalton State in a ceremony this past Wednesday.
“This means I get to further my career in soccer and keep doing what I want to do,” said Jones, who has been playing soccer since the age of four. “I just liked all of (Dalton State) and I’ve heard their education program is really good.”
Jones has been a mainstay in the midfield for the Red-and-white the past four seasons and has helped the team begin a resurgence in Region 6-AAA. LFO finished the 2019 campaign with a 9-6-1 overall record behind one of the top offensives in the league.
“I play midfield and defensive- mid, but I’m ready to help them out wherever I can,” she added. “Hopefully, I’ll bring a lot (to their program). I just want to do my best, have a good attitude about everything and be able to help them in every way that I can.”
Dalton State assistant coach Rury Alvarez said the Roadrunners were getting a quality player in Jones.
“We had her come try out with the team, so I got to learn a little bit about her,” he said. “I know she’s hardworking because she’s in school, plays soccer and she has a job. Those are ultimately things you have to balance out once you come to college, but she has a good work ethic and that’s something we try and pursue at Dalton State.”
Alvarez said Jones will have a shot to earn playing time in the midfield.
“The good thing about our team is that we play in a formation with four center-mids, so we have two defending and two attacking,” he continued. “That means there are four positions open and she just has to work hard. That’s
obviously something she’s going to do, so I think we got the player we’re looking for.”
LFO head coach Justin Butler said it will be tough not to have Jones on the roster next year.
“She’s been on my team for four years now and I really hate to lose her,” he said. “She’s been the heart of our team with her toughness and the way she fights for the ball. She also has good control and vision. She works really well in finding passes, getting the ball from the middle to the wings and then back across. Those are things that are really going to be tough to replace next year.
“And she’s just as good of a person as she is a player. She’s a great student. I’ve had her in class and she works just as hard in the classroom as she does on the field.”
Jones plans to major in education with hopes of one day becoming a teacher.