WEST LIBERTY, W.Va. – Ellinor Jansson is one of the graduating seniors of the Hilltoppers Women’s soccer team and is the Hilltoppers youngest captain. She was born and raised in Stockholm, Sweden and has spent the past four years on the Hilltop. She’s been playing soccer for as long as she remembers and knew early on that she wanted to take her talent outside of Sweden.

During her time on the Hilltop, she managed to become the youngest captain as only a sophomore with the Women’s soccer program; and managed to hold the title for the remainder of her college career. Jansson made a comeback for her final season after a season ending injury the summer before her junior year.

Jansson knew early that she wanted to try a different environment for soccer after hearing about girls within her club who had gone to the U.S. Her ambitions have always been clear.

“It’s always been about continuing to play soccer at a level that I still think is fun, and for me a challenging level has always been fun.”

And play she did, during her freshman season her impact was immediate, she played 90 minutes almost every game and continued to play majority her sophomore season; getting a career high 1,309 minutes in total.

With her Swedish background, Jansson showcases some fun quirks, like enjoying banana on pizza or pulling out Swedish candy when you least expect it. She also has two siblings, a brother and a sister, enjoying long walks, and watching soccer.

Jansson goes home to Sweden every summer to be with her family and she also continues to play soccer throughout the break as the Swedish soccer season begins around the time break starts.

The summer of 2023 she was playing with her sisters’ team when she tragically tore her ACL during a game, resulting in her missing the entirety of her junior season. Instead of playing, she focused on her rehab to get back to soccer, but she says this was the toughest period of her life.

“No one was allowed to talk to me about it for the first two weeks.”

She asked her parents to warn people not to ask about her injury as she had a hard time facing what had happened. She felt depressed for months and could only think about getting back on the field. But after reality kicked in, she went straight into focusing on her comeback.

For her senior season she was back and ready to play, and although the season had a rough start, she helped lead the team to the first round of playoffs as a captain and a center back. And what better way to finish your final season than scoring her first goal against the MEC Conference winners Fairmont State. The goal symbolized all the hard work she put in to be able to get back to soccer and it couldn’t have been more special. She also managed to score a header on Senior Night with her parents in the stands.

Jansson is a natural leader, and she takes pride in her ability to lead the team both on and off the field. She speaks up for her teammates and keeps her positive attitude even when faced with obstacles. She is both an inspiration for the whole team and a great role model.

While her time on the Hilltop is coming to an end, Jansson is focusing on what’s ahead. She plans on continuing playing soccer and exploring her life after school. She won’t just be remembered as the youngest captain in program history but for her resilience and incredible personality. She and her fellow seniors will be missed for the impact they had on the program, their teammates,

and the Hilltop.