Santa Clara women’s soccer alumna Jordan Angeli ’09 has built a career defined by leadership, perseverance and a commitment to growing the game. From starring for the Broncos to playing professionally and ultimately founding Denver Summit FC, Angeli’s journey continues to inspire the next generation.
When Angeli was just 15 years old, she attended a soccer camp at Santa Clara and immediately knew that it was the place she wanted to play someday. At the time, the Broncos were coming off their 2001 national championship season.
“I fell in love with it,” Angeli said.
Despite receiving full-ride scholarship offers from other schools, she couldn’t pass up the opportunity to attend Santa Clara.
Angeli was also drawn to the University’s academic opportunities. She studied marketing and communication and was excited to pursue her education through the Leavey School of Business.
Among her favorite memories as a Bronco was defeating Notre Dame on Buck Shaw Field. Yet, it was the relationships she built with teammates and coaches that left the greatest impact.
“It felt like a family. We still support each other in so many things that we do,” Angeli said.
One of the most important lessons she learned at Santa Clara came from the culture established by the coaches.
“To have humility and accountability and say I made a mistake and this is how I’m going to get better,” Angeli said. “I felt that is so applicable in everything that you do in life. To be humble, to work hard, but also to admit when you’re wrong and have accountability.”
Those lessons continue to guide Angeli throughout her professional playing career and later motivated her to help bring women’s soccer to Colorado.
The idea behind Denver Summit FC grew out of her own experiences as a player. During her time at Santa Clara, the women’s soccer team traveled across the country, often playing in the hometown cities of teammates. However, Angeli never had the opportunity to play a collegiate or professional match in Colorado.
“I wanted to bring the team here because I wanted little girls growing up here to know that they could play for their hometown club,” Angeli said. “They could grow up one day, and they didn’t have to go far to play professional soccer. Their parents, family and friends could just drive to go watch them play,” said Angeli.
Another source of inspiration came from Bay FC co-founders and other Bronco alumni Brandi Chastain ’91, Danielle Slaton ’02, Aly Wagner ’02 and Leslie Osborne ’05.
“They’ve inspired me so much throughout my career and my life,” said Angeli.
Although she only played alongside Osborne for one season and never shared the field with the other three, Angeli said they supported her because of the strong bonds within the Bronco community.
Denver’s inaugural match took place at PayPal Park against Bay FC on March 14, creating a full-circle moment for Angeli. Returning to local places where she would usually go during her college years brought back memories of her time at Santa Clara.
“It was really surreal and to hug Jerry. Still makes me cry when he tells me he’s proud of me,” she said about being praised by Santa Clara women’s soccer head coach Jerry Smith.
She was grateful to share the moment with Chastain, Slaton, Wagner, Osborne, and her parents.
“The first goal that we scored there will always be seared into my memory. I probably screamed too loud and almost passed out, but it was worth the excitement because it was such a big moment,” said Angeli.
Then came Denver’s first home match.
A crowd of 63,004 fans packed Empower Field at Mile High on March 28 to watch Denver Summit FC host the Washington Spirit, setting a new attendance record for a professional women’s sporting event in the United States. The mark surpassed the previous record set by Bay FC at Oracle Park in San Francisco last season.
“I was so overwhelmed with the amount of people that showed up and were there to support a team in Denver. I always knew this city loved soccer, but to see it become a reality was a dream come true,” said Angeli.
Looking back on her journey, Angeli encourages Santa Clara students and athletes to trust themselves.
“Trust the intuition that you have inside your heart. If you’re given a dream, give it a shot. The worst thing you can do is it doesn’t work, but the best that could happen is it works, and you get to experience something that you never would if you didn’t give it a shot,” she said.
The most valuable lesson Angeli carried with her from Santa Clara is one she continues to live by today.
“Everything happens for a reason and don’t run away from the hard things, because the hard things are often the things that you find the most growth in.”
