It’s not uncommon for athletes to dabble in other sports while growing up before focusing solely on one, and for junior Eden Jacobsen of the University of Utah soccer team, that is exactly what happened. While a student at Woods Cross High School, Jacobsen played on the court and on the field. Basketball and soccer had positives and negatives, but Jacobsen found that the individual aspect of basketball and the creativeness of soccer is what pulled her into playing both.
“Something I really enjoyed about basketball was practicing on my own, because I felt like it was something that was really easy to do,” Jacobsen said. “I could take one ball and go shoot 100 shots, and so it was easy. I loved practicing by myself. I felt like I could take over a game easily, because every single time the ball went out of bounds, I was bringing it back in because I played point guard so I really loved that.”
When it came to soccer, it was the freedom she felt on the field that ultimately stole her heart. Jacobsen sees soccer as an art, and she found herself passionate about disovering new ways she can create different situations with the ball and her teammates during a game.
It was a challenge for Jacobsen juggling two sports during her high school career. Playing soccer year-round, Jacobsen was forced to make sacrifices in one sport to accommodate the other. She found herself going straight from basketball practice to soccer and vice versa.
“It was tough, so I had to stop,” Jacobsen said. “I only played basketball my freshman and sophomore years. [Playing basketball] was super fun and I loved both. I just couldn’t do both sports, and I love soccer so I stuck with that one.”
From the beginning, Jacobsen knew that one day all she wanted to do was play soccer, but she doesn’t consider her time with basketball a waste. It helped her progress in soccer, especially when it came to passing under pressure.
Head coach Rich Manning also believes Jacobsen’s basketball background has transferred over to her soccer career in a positive way.
“Just the idea of the physical part of moving, being quick and changing direction, there is an athletic component to it and then there is a skill component to it like passing, shooting and the hand-eye coordination,” Manning said.
Manning added that Jacobsen has made “tremendous strides” in many different areas.
“She has improved her skill set,” Manning said. “She has really improved in her passing and reading, she has really improved in her defensive work, and I think that from a leadership standpoint she has become a true leader on our team. She has really stepped up, and she is one of those people that forms the heartbeat of our team.”
Manning is expecting a big season out of Jacobsen, and although she competes on the grass and not the hardwood anymore, she still finds time for the sport that taught her many lessons.
“Some of the girls will come with me and play in the gym with me here at Utah,” Jacobsen said. “It’s really fun and I do miss [basketball], but soccer is where I’m at.”
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