When Jordan Restivo walked across the stage at the Philadelphia Convention Center in Pennsylvania on January 14, 2023, it marked the culmination of a personal goal she set for herself prior to the start of the 2022 Johnson & Wales University women's soccer campaign.

"My main goals entering the season were to win another conference championship and win at least one game in the NCAA Tournament," said Restivo. "The one personal goal I set was to be an All-American. Last year, I was ranked in some of the NCAA statistical categories. It was nice to see where I stood amongst my peers across the country and it made me believe that, if I worked hard enough this year, I had the potential to do it."

Now, dressed in all black with a white soccer scarf and black boots, Restivo is one of just 15 student-athletes from across the country being honored by the United Soccer Coaches (USC) Association as First Team All-America. "(JWU) coach (Chris) Flint called me the day before the teams were made public and I started crying," said Restivo. "I was so happy because it was the one goal I set for myself. It was a great feeling. I was with all of my friends when he called, so I was able to share it with them."

Restivo – who led all of Division III in both assists (23) and points (66) this past fall – graduates as JWU's all-time leader in goals (62), assists (47), and points (171). The Utica, New York native entered her final season of eligibility needing 41 points to break former teammate Olivia Cairrao's program-record of 145. "I thought there was no shot," she said. "I didn't think it would be possible."

What followed was one of the greatest individual seasons in collegiate history. Restivo collected at least one point in 21 of the Wildcats 23 games, including 10 multi-point efforts and seven outings with at least three points. Seven of her 20 goals stood as game-winners and she also converted three of her four PK's. Off the field, Restivo recorded a 3.74 grade point average, which earned her USC Scholar All-East Region and All-American First Team honors.

Restivo's journey to 'The Ocean State' began at age five playing recreation soccer alongside her twin sister, Sidney, and classmates from her school. "I never played for a big club team or went to tournaments. When I was in elementary school, my dad and my best friend's dads formed a team and we stayed together through high school," said Restivo. "I switched teams as a high school senior to gain more experience and play for someone other than my dad, but it was all for fun. Playing in college was never the end-all, be-all goal."

Jordan learned at an early age that if she wanted to be one of the better players on the field, it wasn't just going to happen – she was going to have to work really hard. And while she excelled in both volleyball and lacrosse at the high school level, soccer was always the sport she enjoyed the most. "Jordan has always been a great athlete," explained her twin sister, Sidney. "She was a standout no matter what sport we were playing."

John Restivo, Jordan's father, urged his daughter to consider playing at the collegiate level, feeling that she would not be happy if she didn't try. "At first, the idea really stressed me out. I knew that I could play, but I was never overly confident that I would be successful," said Restivo. "I also knew that I wouldn't be happy if I wasn't actually playing. I've never been someone to sit on the bench and I knew I wouldn't be able to do it. Coach Flint made me feel like I would have an immediate impact at JWU, and that gave me more confidence."

Flint – who recently completed his eighth season at the helm of the JWU women's soccer program – recalls his initial impressions of Restivo. "I thought Jordan would be an impact player and that she had tremendous potential. She was a super athletic player that had a second gear in terms of speed. She could also strike the ball well. She's wasn't from a big club that played in all the bigger events, so I felt her upside was very big. What you never know in recruiting is a player's drive and work ethic. Jordan is, without question, one of the most driven and hard-working players I have ever coached in 25-plus years of college coaching."

Having attended a summer camp at Johnson & Wales prior to the start of her senior season at New Hartford High School, coach Flint offered Jordan an opportunity to play for the Wildcats. "I had spent my entire life in New York and I knew I wanted to go somewhere different, so I committed to Johnson & Wales," said Restivo. "I did receive a letter from a Division 1 school and thought about attending, but being at the Division III level was going to allow me to go into a career I wanted feeling confident and allow me to identify through something other than just my sport."

Sidney, meanwhile, decided to attend SUNY Oneonta, where she would join to the Red Dragons soccer program. "She made her college decision first, which made it easier for me to come to JWU," explained Jordan. "I was always the more reserved, shy twin and I relied on her for everything. I knew that if I wanted to be successful as an individual, I needed to separate myself from her."

Like any student-athlete making the transition from high school to college athletics, Restivo immediately noticed the speed of the game upon arriving to campus in August, 2018. "I remember being at the first preseason practice thinking 'This is so much faster!' I was pretty small when I got here, so I just had to hold my own," said Restivo. "Then, during our fitness test, we ran 10 120-yard sprints, and I was one of only four players who passed. That's when I first started to believe 'I can do this.'"

Not only did she 'do this' – she crushed it. Restivo scored her first collegiate goal late in her first game for the Wildcats and finished her freshman campaign with 28 points (11 G, 6 A) to earn Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Rookie of the Year honors. "I had never scored a header goal in my entire life, and then I got my first career goal on one in my first game," Restivo said. "I felt pretty confident after that."

Restivo's first season ended with a 4-2 loss to St. Joseph's (ME) in the GNAC Semifinals. The following year, the Wildcats dropped their first five matches and Restivo said doubts began to creep in as far as the team's ability bring home a conference championship. The team responded with a 12-match win streak and went on to take down the Monks, 2-1, to win the program's first GNAC Championship. "The feeling of winning that game was like no other," said Restivo. "We were so excited. It was something that we always wanted and never imagined would happen. That first championship changed the expectations for the entire program going forward."  

That season also marked the first of three-straight GNAC First Team selections for Restivo as she bested her totals from the previous fall with 13 goals and nine assists for a total of 35 points. JWU's debut in the NCAA Tournament ended with a 3-0 loss to MIT, but this would not be the last appearance for Restivo and the Wildcats in the 'Big Dance.' Unfortunately, no one knew at the time that the Wildcats – and the vast majority of collegiate soccer teams, for that matter – would not play another meaningful game until 2021 due to COVID-19.

The silver lining to the cancellation of the 2020 season was that Sidney came to live with Jordan in Rhode Island. The Restivo's did not want Jordan living at home for fear of exposure to the virus, yet did not want her alone in Rhody during the pandemic. "Although our social lives were limited, Jordan and I spent most days training for soccer and finding fun ways to pass the time. We crafted or took trips to the beach," explained Sidney, who was able to take classes at SUNY Oneonta remotely during this time. "It was definitely a special time in my life."

Restivo also used the break in the NCAA schedule to become a lot stronger and develop better on-the-ball skills. When collegiate competition finally resumed in the fall of 2021, Restivo noticed immediately that her hard work and training over the past 18 months had paid dividends. "I was a lot stronger and wasn't getting pushed off the ball as easily," said Restivo. The results were evident as she posted career-highs in goals (15), assists (12), and points (42) to backstop the Wildcats to their second-straight GNAC Championship. For her efforts, she earned her first GNAC Offensive Player of the Year award.

This past fall – Jordan's final for the blue and gold – the team won a program-record 19 matches and their third-straight GNAC Championship, outscoring opponents 86-19 over the course of 23 contests. While Restivo was able to obtain one of her preseason goals by earning AA honors, the Wildcats were unable to advance past the first round of the NCAA Tournament as they came up one goal short in a 3-2 loss at RIT in the first round. "We knew we were facing a very talented opponent," Restivo said. "Our coaches did a great job preparing us. We fought really hard and there were stretches where we outplayed them. Even though we lost, there was no group of women I would have rather played with."

As she reflects back on her career, perhaps the most memorable portion of Jordan's final year of play was not necessarily reaching her goal of earning All-America honors, but being able to play alongside her sister one last time. "In high school, we lost to the same team every year in sectionals," said Jordan. "We'd never had that winning feeling. It was so nice to win a championship together. Our entire family was there to celebrate with us. It was really awesome."

For Sidney, the experience was equally meaningful. "It was special to be able to play alongside Jordan one last season. It was really fun to win the GNAC. I had never experienced that level of success during a season and there really are no words to describe how fun and memorable it was. We ended our soccer careers just like how we started them – playing with each other." 

Restivo plans to attend Merrimack College next fall and pursue a Master's degree in Athletic Training. She received an invitation to tryout for a team in Iceland, however she cited one of the lessons she learned during the pandemic for turning down the opportunity. "During the pandemic, I really began to realize that I was not going to play soccer forever. I've been looking forward to going to graduate school for a while and athletic training is something I would really like to do. I want to have an identity outside of soccer, but I can't imagine my life without athletics."

The Wildcats will once again be the favorites to capture the GNAC Championship in 2023 and the recent success of the women's soccer was undoubtably one of the reasons the Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) came calling for JWU. In other words, the impact Restivo had on Flint's program will be felt for the foreseeable future.

"Jordan helped lead our program to three-consecutive GNAC titles and a trio of NCAA Tournament appearances, both of which are unprecedented in the history of the JWU women's soccer program," said Flint. "Beyond that, Jordan raised the standard of hard work and what is expected of the student-athletes in this program on and off the field. Our program is now well-respected in the New England region because of Jordan's hard work. The standards and expectations have changed because she put in the time and effort to raise not only her level of play, but the play of those around her. She leaves behind a legacy of excellence."