The past 12 months have been quite the ride for Burrell grad Jordyn Kowalkowski.

On Nov. 4, 2023, Kowalkowski and the U of Rochester women’s soccer team completed an undefeated regular season (12-0-5, 3-0-4 University Athletic Association) under second-year coach Ashley Van Vechten. It earned the Yellowjackets their first NCAA bid in five years, and their second-place finish in the UAA was their best since 2009.

Rochester made it all the way to the Division III quarterfinals before being eliminated.

Then, in the spring, Kowalkowski spent five months studying in Europe. Her home base was Florence, Italy, but she had the opportunity to travel to several countries. She also took in FC Barcelona and AC Milan matches and played a little soccer herself against other universities’ abroad schools as well as pickup matches with European locals.

Now Kowalkowski will find out if she can end her college soccer career with another NCAA berth. Rochester completed its regular season Saturday — the Yellowjackets entered the match vs. Emory at 11-3-2 (including an impressive 8-0-2 road mark), 4-2 — and awaits the announcement of the NCAA Tournament pairings Monday.

“Based on the rankings that have been consistently coming out, I think we have kind of proven ourselves each week,” Kowalkowski said. “And we’ve been ranked almost every single week, so if that’s any ‘tell’ of whether we’re going to be in the playoffs, I think it’s looking real good for us.

“Against really competitive teams, we’ve been putting up results. I also think because of how far we went last year … we really made a name for ourselves.”

But whether Kowalkowski’s soccer playing days ended Saturday or if they end in the NCAA Tournament, she said she wouldn’t trade her overall experience at Rochester.

Kowalkowski will graduate in the spring with a major in psychology and double minor in business and brain cognitive science. She plans to pursue a grad degree in clinical or forensic psychology.

“It has been a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” Kowalkowski said. “Soccer kind of gave me the opportunity to go to school at one of the top academic institutions in the country. Soccer was the reason I found the University of Rochester and kind of fell in love with the University of Rochester.

“I would explain the school as a hidden gem.”

On the pitch, Kowalkowski developed into a dependable cog for Van Vechten’s program. Between this season and last season, Kowalkowski has appeared in all but two matches, including playing in every NCAA match last fall.

The forward has contributed two goals to Rochester’s effort this season.

Van Vechten’s arrival helped transform the program. A Rochester women’s soccer alumnae who was a three-time Division III All-American defender, Van Vechten took over the program in December 2021 after the Yellowjackets went winless in the UAA.

Less than two years later, she had her alma mater marching into the NCAA Tournament. She said she knew right away Kowalkowski could be a valuable contributor.

“No. 1, a fantastic person, somebody who cares deeply about the people around her, about her own performances, about the work that she does,” Van Vechten said. “… On the field, Jordyn has a technical foundation that’s tremendous. She’s a fantastic athlete. She can do things that she’ll make look easy but we know are incredibly hard.”

Van Vechten moved Kowalkowski from the midfield to more of a striker role. It was a new experience for Kowalkowski, who said she had played almost exclusively in the center midfield through high school and early in her college days.

The biggest adjustment for her — and Van Vechten noted it was a big adjustment for many of the players once she took over — was learning to play without the ball.

“I think she brought out a lot of skills in me as a player that I never really focused on before,” said Kowalkowski, who entered Saturday’s regular-season finale with six career goals. “Before she came in as coach, we played a whole different style of soccer. It was less creative. Now we’re more dynamic as a team overall.

“More movement off the ball, which gives us more options. Overall, clearly it’s been working for us.”

Kowalkowski has spent the majority of her time at Rochester as a reserve. Though she had made 10 starts among her 56 career appearances leading up to Saturday, she generally comes off the bench to play 20 to 25 minutes per match.

While she has contributed to the team’s success in tangible ways, her leadership, Van Vechten said, is something that doesn’t show up on the stat sheet.

“She’ll find that player who’s looking a bit down and maybe put an arm around them and give them a little attention and a little confidence to feel better about whatever situation they’re managing,” the coach said.

Kowalkowski and her teammates will be huddled around a computer at 2 p.m. Monday to find out if their body of work this fall puts them into a second consecutive NCAA Tournament. As of the United Soccer Coaches’ Oct. 29 poll, Rochester was ranked No. 15, which likely will earn it an at-large bid.

But even if she already has played her final soccer game, Kowalkowski said she will walk away with nothing but positive memories.

“We play in the UAA conference, which is, basically, one of the most competitive conferences — if not the most competitive conference — of Division III soccer,” she said. “So it’s been such a privilege to play in the UAA and be on a team, a competitive team, within the UAA.”

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