Jackson's Tomsu signs with Southeast Missouri State soccer

It took a string of events that started with Cassidi Tomsu breaking her collarbone that led to her signing to play soccer at Southeast Missouri State on National Signing Day Wednesday.

The Jackson standout remembers trying to poke the ball into the back of the net during that district semifinal game her sophomore year. She also remembers a girl landing on her left shoulder and not being able to get herself off the field because it hurt so bad.

That injury made Tomsu, who also plays basketball for the Indians, take a closer look at what meant the most to her, which ended up being soccer.

"I think that was God's way of saying, 'You need to take a step back and look at the big picture,'" Tomsu said of the injury.

Once she came to the conclusion that she wanted to put more of an emphasis on soccer she decided to try out for a St. Louis Scott Gallagher team.

2015 All-Missourian Girls Soccer - Cassidi Tomsu - Jackson High SchoolFred Lynch

"It was an easy decision once I started playing with Scott Gallagher and I knew that I was a homebody," Tomsu said. "Traveling without my parents there was a little difficult because they couldn't make all the big trips. Whenever Southeast was interested in me it was a very easy decision because it felt like home."

Tomsu has known Southeast soccer coaches Heather and Paul Nelson for awhile and was friends with their daughter Jordan Nelson.

She verbally committed to Southeast last October. Tomsu went on to score 17 goals and recorded eight assists as a junior. She and Nelson, who was a senior at the time, helped the Indians to a 20-3-1 record and a berth to the sectional round of the Class 4 state tournament. She scored 21 goals as a freshman and 16 as a sophomore.

"We talked about this when she was a freshman and this was something that she was interested in," Jackson coach Justin McMullen said. "It's a great day for her and her family and I'm extremely excited for her today. We've been really close and to see this I'm not just her coach today but certainly somebody that I look to as she's part of my family as well, so it's exciting."

McMullen is excited to see Tomsu team back up with Nelson, who completed her freshman season with the Redhawks in November.

"I'm not as scared going into college knowing that I have Jordan there," Tomsu said. "I know that she would never lead me in the wrong way, and I know that if ever have any questions or I need motivation I know that she'll always be there. It'll be really good to play with her again and train with her again because she did push me to become a better player."

Tomsu has been an All-Missourian girls soccer selection each of the last three years along with all-conference, all-district and all-regional.

She was a finalist for Girls Soccer Player of the Year at the Semoball Awards in its first two years.

"Determined," McMullen said. "That's the first thing when I think about Cassidi Tomsu is her determination, her strong work ethic and her ability to make others around her better. She's very impactful, not only during games but on the practice field, during school. She's just one of those kids that she has a contagious personality."

Tomsu joins a Southeast team that finished as the runner-up in the Ohio Valley Conference tournament and finished with a record of 9-6-7.

"She's come a long way," McMullen said. "I know she hadn't played a lot of organized soccer until she really got into high school, and her growth is just unbelievable, and we haven't seen the best of Cassidi Tomsu yet. Her best days are certainly ahead of her."