Jake Petersen Keeps His Head in the Game
Brittany Eads
(310) 804-7245
britteads@gmail.com
Jake Petersen
Provo, Utah (May 9, 2009) — It’s of the most exciting plays in soccer-- the one-on-one, no-holds-barred charge for the ball between offender and goalkeeper.
BYU incoming freshman Jake Peterson remembers making one such run for the ball as a keeper, but that’s about the extent of his memory. The next thing he recalls was lying sprawled across the field on his back, looking up into the concerned faces of his parents and teammates.
“I was later told I came out for the ball and a kid kneed me in the head,” Petersen remembers. “When I came to, I was really groggy. I kept asking the sweeper the score because I couldn’t remember it.”
Despite suffering what doctors later confirmed to be a concussion, Petersen stuck it out and played through the end of the game, but recalls losing his memory for an entire day and the funny, but scary, aftermath of his injury.
“The day after it happened, I saw all of the text messages I sent but didn’t remember sending any of them,” he explains. “It was definitely a freaky experience.”
Lots of rest and several CT scans later, the high school senior is back in the game. As a new addition to the Cougar squad, he is elated to have made the team and recalls the moment he found out he would be donning Cougar blue during the summer season.
“The first person I told was my mom,” Petersen laughs. “She drove all the way up from Roy (Utah) and when I told her she was tremendously excited. It really is a dream come true for me and for her.”
Petersen is a veteran of several prestigious soccer programs, including club teams Rampage and La Roca, and the Real Salt Lake youth development team. He played basketball throughout high school, but identifies soccer as his true passion.
Though his decision to come to BYU wasn’t always set in stone, Petersen is grateful for the chance to be able to play for the Cougars.
“I wasn’t so sure about coming to BYU at first, but when I actually tried out for the team all my plans changed. I’m not sure about where my future will be headed as of right now, but in the meantime I’m just excited to be where I’m at.”
