Skyline Spartans 2014 graduate Jordan Branch found a home at right defender during her freshman season with the Washington State University Cougars women’s soccer team.

Branch, who was an all-state soccer player during her senior year of high school, started at right defender for the majority of the 2014 season. The Cougars finished with an overall record of 10-5-4, including a 5-4-2 record in PAC-12 play.

Branch was named to the freshman PAC-12 team as well.

Branch even surprised herself with the amount of playing time she received in her first year of collegiate soccer at the Division-1 level.

“I wasn’t expecting to play very much. I just worked really hard in practice and the coaches rewarded me for it,” Branch said. “The biggest adjustment is the work rate. You have to play as hard as you can all the time to compete with the better players you see in college. In college having speed is kind of irrelevant because everybody is really fast and really strong.”

Playing the outside defender position is much like being a cornerback on the football field. Many times players are left to fend for themselves in 1-on-1 situations.

“It’s definitely challenging playing defender, but I like the challenge of it. It pushes me to be better and I enjoy that part of the game. You have to tackle hard (slide tackle),” Branch said.

Branch said she feels she can take chances in 1-on-1 situations from her right defender position because the center defender, which is the last line of defense before the goalie, is adept at making key stops as well.

“It’s definitely easier for me because I know I have good support back there which makes me less nervous when I’m going (1-vs-1) against someone,” she said.

The camaraderie amongst the entire Cougars women’s soccer team reminds Branch of her high school days at Skyline.

“The coaches really care about the players which helps us all grow as a team. Our team is good with team bonding and we gel together,” Branch said. “Next year our goal is to make it as far as we can in the NCAA’s (NCAA tournament).”

With her sophomore season kicking off in just eight months, Branch said she’s focused on getting bigger and stronger in preparation for the 2015 campaign.

“I’m going to lift weights as much as I can so it’s easier for me to compete with the bigger, better and older players,” she said.

Shaun Scott: 425-43-5045; sscott@bellevuereporter.com