« Women’s Soccer 2018

Jennifer Hiddink

School
U.S. Air Force Academy
Position
Goalkeeper
Major
Foreign Area Studies

Classroom

In the classroom, Jennifer Hiddink is a foreign area studies major also minoring in Spanish who holds a 3.29 cumulative grade-point average. She is a two-time Academic All-Mountain West Conference honoree (2016, 2017), as well as a 2017 United Soccer Coaches Academic All-West Region First Team member. After graduation from the Academy, she intends to use her Air Force training to become a pilot, while also using her studies to be a Foreign Area Officer.

Character

Hiddink is a 2018 co-captain for the Falcon women’s soccer team, helping lead the team both on and off the field. She has been active within her squadron serving in numerous roles. Hiddink has served as a Support Officer, helping to coordinate large-scale Cadet Wing activities such as graduation and major training events. She was also an Element Leader, in which she was in command of nine cadets for whom she was a mentor with military, academic, and athletic issues. Finally, she served as an Operations Clerk, handling squadron paperwork and ensuring that operations within the squadron went smoothly.

Community

In her time in Colorado, Hiddink has been an active volunteer with Special Olympics of Colorado, helping with clinics in an effort to spread fun and joy for special-needs kids, as well as promoting women’s soccer in the state. She has volunteered her time at the local Cheyenne Mountain Zoo in a variety of roles, while also serving as a volunteer dog-walker at the local pet store. Finally, she went on two separate mission trips to Guatemala, through which she volunteered at a local school, helping to make infrastructural improvements to the school, assisting the children with their studies, and teaching them about the game of soccer.

Competition

Hiddink was a first-team All-Mountain West goalie in 2017, while also being selected to the United Soccer Coaches All-West Region Third Team. That season, she set the program single-season record with 120 saves, while also breaking the Mountain West record for conference game saves with 87. Her 120 saves were good for ninth in the country, while her 6.32 saves per game was ranked 20th. She was able to tally five shutouts. Her efforts helped Air Force to its best conference record in program history and a spot in the conference tournament for the first time since 2005. Hiddink aided in an eight-match unbeaten streak, the longest in the nation during 2017.

As a sophomore, she was in the top 60 in saves per game, totaling 80 overall, while guiding the team to seven wins. The 14 victories in 2016 and 2017 was Air Force’s best two-year stretch since 2002-03.

This season, Hiddink has been one of the top goalies in both the conference and country. She is currently leading the Mountain West in saves per game (6.14), and save percentage (.860), while ranking second in total saves (86). She is ranked 15th in the NCAA in total saves, while her saves per game are 23rd and her save percentage is 25th. In addition, Hiddink is 11th among active goalies in career saves (331), as well as 12th in career saves per game (5.81) among active netminders.

Hiddink has had an outstanding overall Air Force career as well, and because of that she finds herself near the top of the Falcon record book in numerous categories. The veteran netminder is second in Air Force history in career saves with 331. She is 34 saves away from breaking the program record of 364 set by Steph Jardine. In addition, the Wylie, Texas native is second in goals against average (1.22), third in shutouts (13), while also ranking fourth in wins (17), and GK minutes (5155).

Additionally, Hiddink is also cementing herself as one of the all-time best to play in the Mountain West Conference. With nine more saves this season, Hiddink will be the all-time leader in career saves in MW Conference history. On top of that, her 5.81 career saves per game average currently ranks fourth in MW annals.