Precocious Ramirez eyes fast lane at Lane
By Patrick Z. McGavin
The moment rushed by in a tangle of bodies and feet scrambling toward a loose ball when Jocelyn Ramirez had the presence and authority to get that final touch.
In the city championship game at Illinois-Chicago, her 37th-minute goal resulted in a dominant performance as Lane defeated Young 4-0 for its unprecedented fifth-consecutive title.
“I just felt all the girls jumping on me,” she said. “It was the best feeling ever.”
It was May, 2019, and Ramirez effectively came of age.
“I just got in the last eight minutes of the half, and right away I scored. Anything could happen even if you are not starting,” said Ramirez, whose goal gave Lane a 2-0 lead at halftime.
More than a year later, that memory holds steady in her imagination.
The fact that she was good enough to make the Lane varsity as a freshman in 2019 was proof of her abilities and special talent.
“That definitely boosted my confidence by playing with all of those great players,” Ramirez said. “That was the best team I ever played with. I remember telling myself, ‘This is real life,’ and I had to take it up a notch.
“Before I got to Lane, it was all travel teams, so this was something to push me more.”
She is quick and creative in space, able to use her agility and speed to create the necessary separation that yields its own brand of damage and breakdown, in the soccer sense.
Ramirez also has the positional flexibility to play either in the middle or at the top of the formation. The city title marked the high point of her deeply promising first year.
“It doesn’t really matter what position I play,” she said. “I play well as a forward. Before I got to Lane, I was not really used to playing that position.
“You just have to be ready to play anywhere on the field.”
In each of her two years, Ramirez has been identified as an All-State Watch List player by Chicagoland Soccer for the top prospects in the class of 2022.
Given the deeply consequential events of the past seasons — her growing contribution as a freshman and the heartbreaking loss of her sophomore year — Ramirez is not in a hurry.
Time is on her side. She is grounded that way: avid to learn and get better; able to accept the unpredictable.
The journey is what counts.
“I just love the feeling in general when you are on the field,” she said.
“You are free, and you get to show off your skills. I remember there were practices last year, where we just had a little scrimmage, and I just caught myself, because I realized how happy I was to be there, that feeling in general where you just love this game.”
Ramirez is not just bright and industrious. She has a need for movement and activity. Her mother played soccer in high school.
At the age of 6, Ramirez made the leap and joined her first organized team at the local park district. The fit was natural. She showed a flair for the game and a highly competitive mentality.
Ramirez emerged excitedly from the pack, demonstrating grace and reflecting a natural expression of her enjoyment when she played the game.
The early success only stoked her curiosity, and it was just the incentive her mother needed to place her in a more competitive club program in Northbrook.
The genie was not going back into the bottle.
She not only made her own way. Ramirez locked into something pure and essential about the game. She yoked her own personality to her style. It was exciting and brash.
“I definitely say I like to be aggressive when I am playing soccer,” Ramirez said. “My speed is something I appreciate for myself. If I broke it down, into one or two things, I’d say my best qualities are my speed and my aggressiveness.”
A standout student, her initial impulse was to try and gain admittance into one of the city’s select enrollment schools, like Northside or Jones.
Lane was her neighborhood school, and she realized it combined the best combination of location and academics with a bonus -- the almost privileged aura of the soccer program.
“I heard they were four-time city champions, and I thought that was almost scary, but it was also something I wanted,” she said.
Lane is also the largest city school by enrollment. It’s a school of multitudes, and it is daunting to find your place there, especially as a freshman.
Soccer was the means to her own self-assertion and the shaping of identity.
The intensity and speed of the practices threw her off rhythm at the start.
Rather than recede into the background, she embraced the change.
“It was really exciting meeting so many new people, or people I didn’t know,” Ramirez said. “It definitely took me out of my comfort zone, and I liked that. I definitely had to show up and show my game. The experience taught me a lot of new things.
“My skills have definitely elevated.”
Coach Michelle Vale was never reluctant to match her young talent with her older, more experienced players. She had a knack for balancing development with the personnel.
Ramirez proved to the older players she belonged.
“She is a very energetic person, both on and off the field,” said midfielder Lisa Rios, a rising senior in the Class of 2021. “Jocelyn is one of the nicest people I have ever met.
“Her love for the sport inspires me to do my best and keep going because she is always so motivated. I am glad I have the opportunity to play with her.”
The eerie quiet and lack of activity during the spring was emotionally devastating.
Everything was so abstract; she was disconnected from the norm.
The Lane team, emboldened by its success, is an especially tight-knit group. That disruption was hard to take, much less accept.
“It was very heartbreaking, especially not having a chance for our seniors like Cam (Niforos), Zehra (Halilic) or Melissa (Garcia) not get a chance play their last year,” Ramirez said.
To take her mind off and dull the disappointment, she took morning runs with her father. Let’s get lost, she told herself.
Playing in college is her objective, and she is eager to be seen.
Just recently she has returned to practice with her club program, Chicago City. It’s like rekindling a love affair. The connections, the camaraderie, she was instantly jolted and reminded what she been missing out on.
Her future high school timeline eases any anxiety and drives her soccer passion.
“I have two years to go,” she said.
By Patrick Z. McGavin
The moment rushed by in a tangle of bodies and feet scrambling toward a loose ball when Jocelyn Ramirez had the presence and authority to get that final touch.
In the city championship game at Illinois-Chicago, her 37th-minute goal resulted in a dominant performance as Lane defeated Young 4-0 for its unprecedented fifth-consecutive title.
“I just felt all the girls jumping on me,” she said. “It was the best feeling ever.”
It was May, 2019, and Ramirez effectively came of age.
“I just got in the last eight minutes of the half, and right away I scored. Anything could happen even if you are not starting,” said Ramirez, whose goal gave Lane a 2-0 lead at halftime.
More than a year later, that memory holds steady in her imagination.
The fact that she was good enough to make the Lane varsity as a freshman in 2019 was proof of her abilities and special talent.
“That definitely boosted my confidence by playing with all of those great players,” Ramirez said. “That was the best team I ever played with. I remember telling myself, ‘This is real life,’ and I had to take it up a notch.
“Before I got to Lane, it was all travel teams, so this was something to push me more.”
She is quick and creative in space, able to use her agility and speed to create the necessary separation that yields its own brand of damage and breakdown, in the soccer sense.
Ramirez also has the positional flexibility to play either in the middle or at the top of the formation. The city title marked the high point of her deeply promising first year.
“It doesn’t really matter what position I play,” she said. “I play well as a forward. Before I got to Lane, I was not really used to playing that position.
“You just have to be ready to play anywhere on the field.”
In each of her two years, Ramirez has been identified as an All-State Watch List player by Chicagoland Soccer for the top prospects in the class of 2022.
Given the deeply consequential events of the past seasons — her growing contribution as a freshman and the heartbreaking loss of her sophomore year — Ramirez is not in a hurry.
Time is on her side. She is grounded that way: avid to learn and get better; able to accept the unpredictable.
The journey is what counts.
“I just love the feeling in general when you are on the field,” she said.
“You are free, and you get to show off your skills. I remember there were practices last year, where we just had a little scrimmage, and I just caught myself, because I realized how happy I was to be there, that feeling in general where you just love this game.”
Ramirez is not just bright and industrious. She has a need for movement and activity. Her mother played soccer in high school.
At the age of 6, Ramirez made the leap and joined her first organized team at the local park district. The fit was natural. She showed a flair for the game and a highly competitive mentality.
Ramirez emerged excitedly from the pack, demonstrating grace and reflecting a natural expression of her enjoyment when she played the game.
The early success only stoked her curiosity, and it was just the incentive her mother needed to place her in a more competitive club program in Northbrook.
The genie was not going back into the bottle.
She not only made her own way. Ramirez locked into something pure and essential about the game. She yoked her own personality to her style. It was exciting and brash.
“I definitely say I like to be aggressive when I am playing soccer,” Ramirez said. “My speed is something I appreciate for myself. If I broke it down, into one or two things, I’d say my best qualities are my speed and my aggressiveness.”
A standout student, her initial impulse was to try and gain admittance into one of the city’s select enrollment schools, like Northside or Jones.
Lane was her neighborhood school, and she realized it combined the best combination of location and academics with a bonus -- the almost privileged aura of the soccer program.
“I heard they were four-time city champions, and I thought that was almost scary, but it was also something I wanted,” she said.
Lane is also the largest city school by enrollment. It’s a school of multitudes, and it is daunting to find your place there, especially as a freshman.
Soccer was the means to her own self-assertion and the shaping of identity.
The intensity and speed of the practices threw her off rhythm at the start.
Rather than recede into the background, she embraced the change.
“It was really exciting meeting so many new people, or people I didn’t know,” Ramirez said. “It definitely took me out of my comfort zone, and I liked that. I definitely had to show up and show my game. The experience taught me a lot of new things.
“My skills have definitely elevated.”
Coach Michelle Vale was never reluctant to match her young talent with her older, more experienced players. She had a knack for balancing development with the personnel.
Ramirez proved to the older players she belonged.
“She is a very energetic person, both on and off the field,” said midfielder Lisa Rios, a rising senior in the Class of 2021. “Jocelyn is one of the nicest people I have ever met.
“Her love for the sport inspires me to do my best and keep going because she is always so motivated. I am glad I have the opportunity to play with her.”
The eerie quiet and lack of activity during the spring was emotionally devastating.
Everything was so abstract; she was disconnected from the norm.
The Lane team, emboldened by its success, is an especially tight-knit group. That disruption was hard to take, much less accept.
“It was very heartbreaking, especially not having a chance for our seniors like Cam (Niforos), Zehra (Halilic) or Melissa (Garcia) not get a chance play their last year,” Ramirez said.
To take her mind off and dull the disappointment, she took morning runs with her father. Let’s get lost, she told herself.
Playing in college is her objective, and she is eager to be seen.
Just recently she has returned to practice with her club program, Chicago City. It’s like rekindling a love affair. The connections, the camaraderie, she was instantly jolted and reminded what she been missing out on.
Her future high school timeline eases any anxiety and drives her soccer passion.
“I have two years to go,” she said.