Take a glance at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga’s record book for women’s soccer, and Diana Jallo’s name is hard to miss.
After graduating from Soddy-Daisy High School in 2002 as one of the most prolific scorers in area history, Jallo had similar success with the Lady Mocs. The former striker, who now lives in Middle Valley and works in utility sales, still owns UTC’s career and single-season scoring records.
“I think that’s awesome,” Jallo said. “It makes me feel like I really made my mark when I was there. I can only hope, though, that someone will come along and shatter it and do really great things for the program. I wouldn’t want the success we had when I was there to be the biggest success for the program.”
Jallo first made a name for herself as a Soddy-Daisy freshman. By her senior year, she already was a three-time all-state player and scored an incredible 42 goals during her final season.
She finished her Lady Trojans career with 122 goals, just shy of the state’s all-time top 10 list, and credits former Soddy-Daisy coach Richard Northcutt for many of her achievements.
“I know if he hadn’t been my coach in high school I would never have made it as far as I did,” Jallo said. “He could bring the best out in anybody. I know he challenged me every day and made me work harder.”
UTC coach J.D. Kyzer took notice of Jallo’s work, and her ensuing success, and signed her as part of one of the Lady Mocs’ best recruiting classes.
“She was just stronger than anybody else on the field, mentally and physically,” Kyzer said of Jallo’s high school career. “Her presence was just amazing. I watched her grow throughout the years, and she became quite a player in Chattanooga, but you never really know how that’s going to translate to the (NCAA) Division I level.
“To be the type of player that Diana turned into, you have to have the desire and passion, and she did. She wanted to get better every day, and you could tell she felt at home once she got into an environment where everybody felt like that.”
As a sophomore, Jallo set the Lady Mocs’ single-season record with 16 goals and helped them to their then-best record of 10-6-3 and the second round of the Southern Conference playoffs. She added 13 goals her junior season, when UTC improved to 12-5-1.
“My sophomore season was definitely my breakout year, and our team was very successful that year,” Jallo said. “When I came in my freshman year, we had a large number of new people, but we all started to mold together really well. It wasn’t just about my own success; it was the team’s success, too.”
Jallo finished her UTC career with a school-record 37 goals, 87 points and 375 shots attempted. She is tied for second with 13 career assists and remains the Lady Mocs’ only two-time first-team all-conference selection.
“She scored a lot of goals for us,” Kyzer said. “It was nice to have someone you knew could put it in there when you needed them to. She was a special player, there’s no doubt about that.”
After she graduated from UTC with a business degree, Jallo’s focus shifted from soccer to her sales career, but she recently joined a local indoor league and will soon be back on the field. Even after a well-deserved break from the sport, the impact she made on Chattanooga soccer will be felt for years to come.
“I wouldn’t change anything,” Jallo said. “I had a great career. It was well worth all the time and effort, because it made me who I am today. I’m proud of the character I have, and I know that playing a team sport definitely played a huge role in that.”
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