TEMPLE, Texas — An England native wants to score big one day.
Anna Jane Loftus, a 23-year-old midfielder from England, was given the opportunity to spend her summer in Central Texas pursuing her passion for soccer. Born and raised in England, she was practically dribbling a ball before she could walk.
"I was maybe four and I was playing in a little boys league," Loftus said. "And the coach was like ... 'She's actually pretty good', but my mom was like 'Oh, I thought I was being biased because I'm her mom.'"
From a young age, Loftus found her passions on the pitch.
"I just love soccer," Loftus said. "It's something I never get tired of doing."
Loftus lived in France, Dubai, made her way to the U.S. and then moved to Germany. Everywhere she went, she had one goal – play soccer.
Loftus spent time showing her skills on an all-boys team, a soccer club in England and at various international tournaments. After playing at Lamar University and Louisiana Tech on scholarship, she moved back to Germany and was on track to play professionally.
After breaking her foot in January, Loftus' goals were put on pause, but she never stopped working.
"There was a lot of doubt. I left school in November and then I went on two trials over that window in January," Loftus said. "On my second trial, I broke the little bone across my toe ... I said to my mom, 'I don't know if I can do this. I'm feeling old', And she said, 'You've worked so hard for something not great to come out of this. You just have to keep going.'"
Every single day, Loftus worked to get back to the player that she was.
With goals of going pro, one summer in Central Texas was a step towards making that dream a reality.
"Honestly coming out and playing every day is a great way to get fitness," Loftus said. "My goal from this was to come and get fit and to do this in the heat is really good. It was freezing in Berlin, and I was wearing a coat back home, but here, I'm sweating every day. "
Loftus was making progress while meeting new faces along the way, like Josie Jarvis, who she met right here in Temple.
"Since the season's finished, we've tried to come out and play 7v7. We also play pick up which is good for touches and quickness," Jarvis, a 20-year-old right wing from England and current soccer player at Oklahoma University, said. "We've become really close in the time and I hope we stay in touch. She's really helped me a lot."
It's been a summer of daily practices and watching World Cup games together, hoping one day Loftus and Jarvis will both make their dreams a reality.
"I'm not very good at watching. I would rather go and play out there," Loftus said. "But it's cool to see how much the women's game has grown and it's only going to continue."
Loftus now heads back to Berlin with her eyes set on taking her talents to the pro team in Mexico, to hopefully kickstart her professional career.
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