Emily Jenkins’ Journey: From Injury to Opportunity

When Emily Jenkins was three years old, soccer wasn’t a choice so much as a current she was swept into. Her siblings played, her family watched every match they could, and her uncle, Scott Jenkins, had once worn the Sounders crest. “Soccer was a big part of the family,” she says simply. By the time she could lace her own cleats, the game was already stitched into her identity.

For a decade, she grew under the watch of Coach Erin Vaughan at ISC Gunners, before crossing into Eastside FC. The move was less about a change of scenery than a return to the training that had shaped her most: goalkeeper sessions with longtime mentor, and current Eastside FC Director of Goalkeeping, Joe Mondello. “His group sessions are by far the best in the state,” she says.

"In my ten years at Eastside FC, Emily is one of the hardest working players I've ever coached," Mondello said. "She has been an exceptional mentor and role model to our younger goalkeepers. To see her not only bounce back from a major injury, but return a better, more well-rounded player has been remarkable. After seeing all the work she put in on a daily basis to get back to the sport she loves, I have no doubt that she will be successful at the college level and beyond." 

A Keeper’s Mindset

Emily hadn’t always been between the posts. Six years as a center back gave her an outfield player’s perspective before she committed fully to goalkeeping at twelve. It was, in her words, “super valuable” preparation for the position that requires not only reflex but resilience.

Mondello and fellow Eastside FC coach, Sean Rash, became cornerstones. They created a space where expectations were high but confidence could grow. “They built an environment for me to learn physically and mentally,” she says. Later, as she fought her way back from injury, Eastside FC Director of Soccer Tom Bialek and her head coach, Mark Kovats, became anchors too: supportive, demanding in just the right ways, and, above all, believing in her.

Teammates mattered just as much. Friends like Sophie Penton, who had been with her through the best and worst of her injuries, were constants. “I can always count on her,” Emily says.

At Eastside, old friends and new teammates also made the transition seamless. High school teammate Megan Ulrich and fellow goalkeeper Natalie Gram, softened the edges of transition and recovery. "My team has been very supportive and accepting of someone they didn’t know and I have been grateful for that," Emily said.

The Dive That Changed Everything

The first serious injury was a broken ankle at an ID camp—painful, frustrating, but straightforward. The second one was different.

Late in a high school match, Emily dove in the way goalkeepers do dozens of times a week. Midair, something tore in her pelvis. When she hit the ground, she felt her bones "crash together." She tried to play on—keepers are tenacious that way—but the pain was unrelenting. Within days, the reality set in: she wouldn’t be playing for the college coaches scheduled to watch her, and she wouldn’t be playing again anytime soon.

What followed was weeks of uncertainty. One doctor after another struggled to diagnose the rare injury. The third opinion was inconclusive; the fourth, at Harborview Medical Center, was decisive. Surgery was the only way forward. The operation stabilized the fractured pelvis—but left her in a wheelchair for three months.

She describes the period with unflinching clarity: “It was very socially isolating, and there were many times I felt hopeless.” Recruiting came to a standstill. Practices went on without her. She learned to stop asking what if and instead ask what now.

The “what now” was small daily goals: upper-body workouts, rolling herself outside in her chair, making a schedule so the days didn’t collapse into one another. Support poured in—her high school coach, Mt. Si head coach Kate Deines Krieger, who visited her at home; Eastside coaches, who adapted training sessions; and her parents, who became full-time caregivers.

Most pivotal was Ben Dragavon, a goalkeeper coach whose business specializes in athlete physical and mental health. He helped her regain confidence in body and mind, guiding her through both the science and psychology of recovery.

"What Emily has achieved is phenomenal and a testament to the type of person she is and the support she has around her, especially her family. So much trust had to be rebuilt, with both her body and mind. We stuck with the mindset that each rep, good or bad, pain or no pain was another step forward to regaining trust. Those micro-steps added up and she began to run with it. The space she was in, that messy area from 'not knowing if she could make it back' to the time she believed she really could, that is where so much resilience was demonstrated and so much growth happened mentally, emotionally, and physically," Dragavon added.

A Fragile but Fierce Comeback

Recovery was not linear. There were days when Emily feared the surgery had failed, when even the idea of playing again felt remote. But there were also breakthroughs: an X-ray showing her bones healing, the first time she walked without pain, the moment she dove onto a mat in a controlled session and realized her body would hold.

“I learned I can adapt,” she says. “I can do hard things, even seemingly impossible things. Health has to come first, but setbacks don’t have to define you.”

The Call from Arkansas

Opportunity came in a way she hadn’t imagined. Viet Nguyen, Recruiting Coordinator for Eastside FC, took a call from his long-time friend, and Arkansas head coach, Jon Harvey.

“Arkansas reached out to me about needing a goalkeeper for the 2026 class,” said Nguyen. “I told them about an incredible GK we had — someone who had taken a setback from a serious injury. I wasn’t sure how she’d come back, but I knew she was worth a look. I sent Jon some video, and he reached out to Emily. Not long after, he flew out from Arkansas—and the rest is history.”

At first, Emily didn’t think too much of it—Arkansas was far from home, a school she had never considered. But one phone call with the coaching staff changed everything. Viet was not surprised.

“That’s why it’s so important for players to understand that being a good soccer player is just one part of it. Having strong character, being a selfless teammate, and showing a genuine desire to learn and grow — those qualities are truly priceless,” Viet added. "I'm very happy for Emily."

The process accelerated: the associate head coach flew north to watch her play, then Emily flew south for a campus visit. What she found was more than facilities and a strong program. It was a place that felt right. An offer sealed it.

“The scholarship was a big draw, but it was really the coaches, the team, the support system—even for my faith—that made the decision clear,” Emily says.

“The scholarship was a big draw, but it was really the coaches, the team, the support system—even for my faith—that made the decision clear,” Emily says.

A New Chapter in Fayetteville

Now, Emily looks ahead with anticipation. Arkansas offers a clean slate—a chance to leave behind the memories of surgeries and wheelchairs and step fully into the player she has always wanted to be. She’ll train alongside a national team goalkeeper, compete in one of the country’s toughest conferences, and study toward a nursing degree.

Off the field, she’s eager for simple joys: skiing, biking, baking pumpkin scones, and building a life on her own for the first time.

Her advice for players facing setbacks echoes her journey: “Allow yourself to be sad, but keep moving. Surround yourself with people who bring back hope. Don’t rule out any school or opportunity—you never know where the right fit will come from.”

Defining Moments

When she looks back, three memories stand tallest: winning Surf Cup in 2018 by saving two penalty kicks in the final, shutting down opponents at the 2021 Surf Cup, and helping Mt. Si High School reach the state tournament for the first time in 2023.

Each one carried pressure. Each one demanded resilience. Each one ended in triumph.

The same can be said of her journey: from a childhood spent watching soccer with family, to a wheelchair and long rehab, to a scholarship at Arkansas. It’s not the path she expected, but it’s the one that made her stronger.

And now, as she prepares to step onto the Razorbacks’ field, Emily carries with her the lessons of every dive, every setback, and every comeback.

Woo Pig Sooie!