All my life, my dream and goals is to be a great soccer player

All my life, my dream and goals is to be a great soccer player

I am Jennifer Cudjoe, 21 years, from Ghana. I started playing football at the age of 5 with my sister who is also a member of the Ghana Women’s senior national team.

I began playing football for middle, high school from 2005- 2011. Playing at that time was not much of a challenge for me, still I join my first club and national team.

Ghana have great club teams and my team Hassacas Ladies was one of the biggest clubs in Ghana. Due to the lack of sponsorship and infrastructure, It was not as much on show compared to other country’s leagues. But when we talk in terms of a good soccer country, Ghana is one of them.

So, as I was playing, I was also travelling to play to better my skills and to able to achieve my goals. After I graduated from high school, I earned a call up for the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in 2010 which was held in Trinidad and Tobago.

It was my first experience of playing in a World tournament and I was happy to play at the highest level.. I was not very confident, so I really work on that because I know that it’s the only way I can make myself better.

After the youth Women’s World Cup, I did not go back to school at this point because the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup was also in the following year, and I was to feature in the qualification and at the World Cup in Japan 2012.

In 2013, I had a scholarship to study and play in the States, I was excited because, playing here was my dream and also to able to learn and get better as I choose soccer as my career. Since I was a child, I always wanted to see Alex Morgan playing and learn more from her.

I moved to Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College for majoring business management accounting for 2 years. In my freshman year in college, playing was easier for me in college, because have adopt much different experiences from the World Cup. I was the best player in my conference and one of the top players in the junior college in the state. I played 14 games,  had 8 assists and 10 goals in my freshmen year. During my sophomore year, I played 20 games, had 8 assists and scored 18 goals. I had a record of 11-2-0.

Whilst I was a sophomore in college, I had another call up for the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Canada 2014. And that was my last youth world cup. By then I was much intelligent and more well prepared.

Now, I have signed for Northeastern State University in Oklahoma, which I will join in the fall. Playing in the States has taught me so much because, it is way more advanced here than in my country and how they motivate and encourage each and every player to become who they want to be in the future.

All my life, my dream and goals is to be a great soccer player and to help the young and upcoming to be great as well. I have won different awards and also leading my team to the top. My former club team won two league titles 2013 and 2014. I have won all regional team, NJCAA Best player of the Year 2013 and 2014 in college. I have also won SWAG female player of the year 2015 in Ghana.

Now I am playing for California storm in a semi pro league in USA called the WPSL. And because I am under scholarship and the rule on NCAA. I can only play pro after school. So I am looking forward to getting to the next level of playing pro in some years.

Jennifer Cudjoe

Member of Ghana Women’s National team for 8 years! I am 21 years old, last summer I played in my last U-20 World Cup, I have played in the FIFA competition 3 times! (U-17 World Cup 2010 and U-20 World Cup 2012, 2014). I played for Hassacas Ladies, a club team in Ghana, who I won the league with before I left for the States. I am a student athlete and just graduated from Northeastern Oklahoma A&M college and now have sign for Northeastern State University which I will join this fall. I am currently playing for California storm in WPSL, and am looking forward to play in one of the pro teams in USA after I am finished with school. After two years in college, I was named NJCAA player of the year 2014. My friends called me Jean Kaka as my nickname because Kaka and Alex Morgan are my role models.