“TOUGH GIRLS” Gwinnett Female Athletes
Kinsey Dziwura AND Jordyn Missel
Tough Tandem by Tony Ronco photograph by KATE AWTREY
Sophomore, Jordyn Missel, and freshman, Kinsey Dziwura, are leading their high school soccer team. The two have combined for eleven goals and three assists this season for the Peachtree Ridge Lions. They’ve done this before. This may be the first time the pair has sported the blue and white together, but Jordyn and Kinsey have been teammates for nearly half their lives. Together, they have experienced triumph and adversity, leaving them tough. Just two years ago, Jordyn and Kinsey were released from the club team they had been a part of for years prior. This was a shock for both girls. Emotions stirred. They were sad, let down, upset- crushed. For Kinsey, this was the only club team she had ever known. Where do I go from here? She thought. Jordyn felt like quitting. She felt like she was no longer good enough to keep playing. The story could end here. Both girls could have given up soccer and spent more time going to the mall with
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friends. But these girls were tough and they had each other. Said Jordyn, “What kept me going was knowing that I always had Kinsey and someone that was going through the same thing as me. We told each other that we were good enough and not to let one coach tell us differently.” Both girls responded proactively to the situation and immediately tried out for other club teams. Jordyn was so determined that she called one of her former coaches, Craig Peterson. “Coach Craig,” she said, “I want you to help me get better because I’m going to be a starting forward for the Peachtree Ridge Varsity Team.” After a summer of workouts with her former coach, and a fall season on a new club team, Jordyn, now receiving serious attention from colleges such as Kennesaw State, ended up as starting forward for Peachtree Ridge in the spring, just as she had said. Her long time friend and teammate, Kinsey, would follow in her footsteps just a year later. Earlier this season, Peachtree Ridge went on the road to play Brookwood High School. This was not a game the Lions were supposed to win as Brookwood was 7-1 entering the game. Once again, Jordyn was determined. She scored a goal early on in the game, her first of the season. She then went on to score another and then another and then another. The Lions eventually won the game 4-3. But Jordyn and Kinsey are good for more than just goals. During the Brookwood game, the Lions’ standout goalie, Cosette Morche, went down with an injury and would not be available for the next game against Mill Creek. The timing was not perfect as the Lions would be up against senior forward, Lauren Tanner. Tanner was coming off of a season in which
SPORTS GWINNETT MAGAZINE www.sportsgwinnett.com May 2013
she had scored 23 goals and was looking forward to her next season in which she will be playing for the University of Georgia. It was Jordyn and Kinsey’s job to stop her. Jordyn, a 5’2 forward, was assigned to fill in for the injured Morche at goalie and Kinsey was assigned to Lauren Tanner. Before the game, Peachtree Ridge Head Coach, Megan Hill, told Kinsey, “You have to mark Lauren Tanner and follow her wherever she goes. Don’t let her leave your side. If she comes off the field, you come off the field. If she goes to the bathroom, you go to the bathroom.” “I was nervous before the game,” said Kinsey. “Lauren Tanner is amazing. I was surprised how much trust my coach put in me as a freshman.” But Kinsey was determined. She took what her coach said to heart and shut down Tanner by not allowing her even one shot on goal. Jordyn had a great game too. Despite being out of her natural position, she only allowed one goal the entire game. The two girls have proved to be invaluable. Coach Hill is very pleased with both of them. “You ask to give 110% when you’re out there on the field and they do it every time. They work very well together….they have a connection.” And their character has seemed to have spread to other girls on the team. “They are underclassman leaders,” said Hill. “They’ve got heart. If we’re losing they don’t give up. If we’re winning, they don’t let down. I think they keep the team going.” Maybe they can thank adversity for all of this. Jordyn’s father, Kerry Missel, attributes divine sovereignty to his daughter’s soccer career and friendship with Kinsey. “They’ve