Blessed Trinity senior Riley Jackson, the national Gatorade high school girls soccer player of the year in 2022, is turning pro and will play for the North Carolina Courage of the National Women’s Soccer League.
Jackson signed a multiyear, guaranteed contract through the 2025 NWSL season with an option for 2026, the team said Friday. The NSWL is the top women’s soccer league in the United States.
“I’m just beyond excited to be here,’’ Jackson told a press conference Friday. “This environment is the best in the U.S. and seeing this jersey with my name on it makes it more real.”
Jackson was co-captain for the U.S.A. team at the U-17 World Cup in 2022. She plays club soccer for Concorde Fire SC (ECNL). She turns 18 in December.
Jackson, a midfielder, will forgo her senior season at Blessed Trinity and her college career. She had signed with Duke.
“It’s not just a soccer decision, it’s a life decision,’' she said. “And I feel like it’s always been my dream since I was little to play, and it’s just an opportunity that you really can’t pass up. It’s perfect timing for me just where I’m at soccer wise and I feel like I just want to make sure that I’m constantly challenging myself.’'
The Courage’s next game is Saturday, when she’ll be introduced to the home crowd at halftime, the team said. The Courage is playing the Orlando Pace.
Six members of the Courage played in the FIFA Women’s World Cup.
The Courage is based in Cary, N.C., outside of Raleigh. It is one of 14 NWSL teams and the closest to Atlanta.
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