Soccer for Denisse Jorge-Garcia has always come naturally. Gathering the ball, moving down the pitch, evading defenders and scoring another goal for her team is just an average day for her.
During her senior year at Hobbton High School, Jorge-Garcia did it 51 times, setting a school record for most goals in a single season. That total also helped her break a record she had been chasing for more than three years — the most career goals ever scored by a Hobbton Wildcat, male or female. It made the accomplishment even sweeter knowing the player she surpassed was her brother, Henry.
“Since my junior year, when that season ended, I had 130 and my brother had 169, I believe,” Jorge-Garcia recalled. “My goal, before the season started, when my brother started college, I was like, ‘I’m going to beat your record.’ He said, ‘No, you’re not.’ So once my senior season came up, I didn’t care much about the conference or playoffs, none of that. What I wanted to do was set a record for my school, to beat that record for girls and guys, especially since it was his. There were times throughout the season when I felt tired, but I thought, ‘No, I have a goal to chase.’ That goal has been set since my junior year, and I’m very glad I got the chance to beat it.”
Not only did her final season at Hobbton allow her to accomplish the goal she had been chasing for so long, it also earned her another honor.
Jorge-Garcia was selected to play in the North Carolina Coaches Association East-West All-Star Women’s Soccer Game earlier this week, where she was named one of the East’s starters. The East defeated the West 5-1.
“For me, it felt like something that the Lord was giving me,” Jorge-Garcia said of learning she had been selected. “It was a gift from God for me to have this talent, and I feel like I deserved it. Although I’m pretty sure there are more girls out there that probably could have gotten it, I’m very glad that I got chosen for it. I was very excited when I found out. I really don’t have words for it; I just felt pretty excited about it.”
Growing up, she began by playing in the front yard with her brother. Then, at the age of 7, she got her first taste of organized soccer.
“My brother played in a league, and they needed extra players,” Jorge-Garcia explained. “I came in, and the first time I touched the ball, somebody passed it to me, I took on everybody, and I scored. That was the first time I touched the ball during a game, and it went in.”
As she got older, Jorge-Garcia continued to play against boys until she reached the age of 14, when she began competing against girls. She believes the experience helped elevate her game, even after the boys realized what she was capable of doing.
“At first they were like, ‘Oh, she’s a girl, we’re gonna push her around so she won’t come back,’” she recalled. “But I feel that I grew so much that they started to respect me. They were rough on me so I could get better. That’s what I really loved about the guys that I grew with because they respected me, and they pushed me harder. There were times we would go against guys, and they thought they could take me on easily, and sometimes they couldn’t. It made me grow confident. When I started to play girls, they don’t have the same mindset and body type as a guy. That made me realize so much, and it helped my vision and IQ grow more.”
Now, following her experience playing against the state’s top players in the East-West game, there are still areas where Jorge-Garcia wants to improve.
“One thing that I noticed when we were training was that the girls were pretty quick with the ball,” she explained. “They would get the ball, and they already knew what they were going to do. With me, it took a little bit more time. That’s something I’m going to keep in mind. I have fast feet, but I want to be able to know what I’m going to do with the ball and be more confident. Then, I want to go to the gym more because, compared to the girls at East-West, they were bigger and stronger. So I want to maintain a good fit, but not too much strength where I can’t do what I do now.”
As the East-West game moves further into the rear-view mirror, Jorge-Garcia is preparing to begin her collegiate career at Chowan University, where she has committed to play soccer. Her brother Henry also attends the university.
“I did it because my brother plays there,” she said. “Since he plays there, I really had the welcome of going there. I felt like Chowan is a very small community, as well as Newton Grove, so I know that was a perfect match for me. Although it’s kind of far away from home, I think being in a small community is better because you get to put your name out there, and more people can come support you. I hope to grow a very strong connection with the players; I already did that with my coaches. I do know one teammate who plays there because she came from Clinton (Larkin Best), and she’s been holding me under her wing right now. I feel like it’ll be a pretty good season.”
The move away from Sampson County is something that’s been on Jorge-Garcia’s mind for a while.
“Since July has started, I’ve counted the days down until moving day, like, dang, I’m going to have to really go.” she said. “It hits me a lot, especially when I think about it too much. I just get nervous because it’s a new change, and I have a fear of change. Because what if it leads to something bad, or what if it leads to something good? You never know; it’s not in the Lord’s plan. So I’m really hoping that, when things come, this nervousness goes away at some point when I’m there.”
As she continues her soccer journey, one of the biggest things Jorge-Garcia hopes to accomplish is becoming a role model for those who play the game after her.
“I want girls to look up to me,” she said. “I want girls to have the mindset of, ‘I want to really beat Denisse’s scoring record. I want to do this. I want to do that.’ I want to be somebody’s example, somebody’s competition. Although, I don’t know if I’m their competition.”
Over the years, she said she’s appreciated every moment the community has given her throughout the ups and downs of her soccer career. Her favorite memory came during a match against East Bladen.
“I had an immaculate game, although I did feel pretty iffy,” Jorge-Garcia said. “I felt like I was gonna do bad. But that game, out of my four years at Hobbton, I feel like that was the game that I popped off and actually proved what I had. There was one goal I scored where my teammate kneed the ball, it rolled off, and there were two girls between me and the goal. I ran toward the goal, and all I heard was my coach (Juan Sanchez) say, ‘Shoot!’ I kicked the ball, and when I did, I fell. All I saw was the ball go under the top post, and it just went in. I didn’t even realize it was a goal until I heard everybody in the crowd screaming because I didn’t even know what I was doing, really.”
When it comes to the mental side of the game, Jorge-Garcia admits she can sometimes get in her own head.
“I want to control that sense of doubt,” she said. “To talk to myself and say, ‘Hey, you’re really trying. You need to do a little bit better, but don’t get into your head too much. Just do what you know how to do.’ I really like to cheer my teammates on. That helps me put everything to the side. Even though I might have a bad game and I’m getting into my head too much, if I see a teammate doing well, that brightens my mood. That pumps me up. I really need to do good so I can help her.”
For all the work Jorge-Garcia has put in, she feels much of it has come through having faith that the Lord will let good things come. With more than 180 goals in four years, an East-West All-Star appearance and the opportunity to play collegiate soccer alongside her brother at Chowan, she believes her story still has more chapters to write.