Sports

Madison's Brittany Jackson Named Captain, Earns Hat Trick At CCSU

A long-time leader by example, Jackson explains how she stepped outside of her comfort zone to reach her goal of becoming captain.

When Brittany Jackson was a senior and stand out soccer star at Daniel Hand High School in 2008, she knew she wanted to go to Central Connecticut State University. Both of her parents went there. Her brother and sister went there. When she visited she liked the girls on the soccer team, and the coaches. “It felt like home,” she said.

 Earlier this year, she was named captain of the women’s soccer team, along with sophomore Jewel Robinson, and she’s been making herself right at home near her opponents’ end line ever since.  On Sept. 16, she scored three goals against Albany, leading the CCSU Blue Devils to a 3-2 victory over the Great Danes.

 The third goal “just sums up Brittany,” says Jackson’s coach, Mick D’Arcy, in this video. “It was a gutsy play. She wanted to win.” Watch the video to see Jackson knock it with a header, in overtime. As for Jackson, she says she and her teammates had already left two games on the field, tied in overtime as a final score, this season. When she saw the ball coming her way on that Friday night against Albany, she decided to “make something of it,” winning the game for her team and earning her first hat trick at CCSU.

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"Held in the highest esteem by her fellow players"

That’s the kind of leadership you can expect from Jackson, D’Arcy says

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“She came to us a shy, uncertain freshman and it’s been a privilege to watch her confidence grow each year,” he said. “Brittany leads by example and is held in the highest esteem by her fellow players and the coaching staff. She is a terrific role model for our younger players and they can see how she excels on the field, in the classroom, and in the community on a daily basis.”

Jackson said she was thrilled to be named captain, and that she’s glad to be leading the team with Robinson.

“It is an honor, definitely,” she said. She said she had always considered herself a leader by example, but this spring realized, if she was going to reach her goal of becoming captain, that she had to become more vocal on the field.

"I had to work a little harder at that"

“Even in high school, I was always more comfortable being a leader by example. I knew that if other girls see you working hard, making tackles and being aggressive, that it just picks up the intensity. When it came to the vocal part, I had to work a little harder at that,” she said.  “I realized I needed to have a presence on the field vocally, and that my teammates needed to be able to turn to me and look for leadership and advice. I realized I had to step it up as a leader.”

Jackson says she has always valued the captains who were willing to provide her with advice, and so she decided to use them as an example.  She also places a high value on strong relationships among teammates, on and off the field.

“You all have to be striving for the same goals, communication is so important. If the team is close off the field,  it helps you communicate on the field,” she said.

Robinson a good friend and sets a good example

She said she looks forward to working with Robinson, her co-captain, who is not only a good friend, but who also sets a good example by being vocal on the field. “We balance each other out,” Jackson said.

Jackson said she’s had a lot of great moments playing soccer over the years, both on and off the field, and that she’s learned a lot from it. “Sports are a great way of building character. A lot of that transfers out into the real world, and how you can work with people. Everybody’s different and you have to communicate in different ways. You have to find different strategies,” she said. “I’ve learned so much that will be beneficial for after college and after playing soccer.”

Her goals, quite simply, are to finish her senior year, graduate on time, and get a job.

But first? She and her teammates will play at Sacred Heart on Sept. 25. The next home game, at Willowbrook Park, will be against St. Francis on Oct. 7. To read the full schedule, visit the CCSU Blue Devils Women’s Soccer Schedule page.


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