When you watch Echefu Jecinta guarding the goalposts for Ibom Angels with poise and authority, it’s hard to imagine she once dreamed of scoring goals, not stopping them.

 

“I was once a striker,” she recalls with a smile. “But something inside me just clicked — I found myself drawn to goalkeeping. I wanted to stop goals more than score them.”

 

That switch from forward to goalkeeper was only the beginning of her journey. Her passion for football clashed with her parents’ expectations. “My dad and mum wanted me to become a doctor,” she says. “They didn’t support my football ambition.”

 

Unwilling to give up, Jecinta made the bold decision to leave home in pursuit of her dream. “I left for survival — to support myself just to play football,” she explains. “I worked at a car wash. Sometimes I helped with construction work, just so I could earn something.”

 

Her sacrifice paid off. She first gained national attention at the National Youth Games in Kwara, where she helped her team clinch silver. In 2021, she added a gold medal at the National Sports Festival in Delta State. Her performance earned her a spot on the Ibom Angels squad during their promotion campaign.

 

“I got promoted with the team. That was a big moment for me.”

 

Though her parents were once unsupportive, their views are slowly changing. “Now they support me small-small,” she says. “At least, they call to check on me sometimes.”

 

Jecinta credits her rise to relentless hard work. “Hard work got me to the NWFL Premiership. I’ve always taken time to train, to practice all day, even when no one was watching.”

 

Her dreams now extend far beyond the domestic league. She’s set her sights on a place in the Nigeria U-17 women’s team, the Flamingos, and hopes to represent Nigeria at the 2025 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup, eventually playing on the international stage.

 

“I want to represent Nigeria, to take my game to the world,” she says.

 

Echefu Jecinta’s story is one of grit, sacrifice, and unwavering belief — a reminder that champions are made not just by talent, but by the will to keep pushing when the odds are against you.