Jake Larson

My Story

How did Strikers shape you as a person?
Strikers helped me learn lots of important skills that are not only applicable to soccer such as
leadership, teamwork, work ethic, and accountability. With Strikers, your coaches and the
community in Missoula really want players to succeed.

How is high school/club soccer different than college soccer?
The speed of play, physicality, and competitiveness are much higher than in high school/club. 

What was the most challenging part of the recruiting process?
You really have to invest in yourself and put yourself out there, especially being from Montana.
It can be hard when you are comparing yourself to kids playing in academies, national teams, or
anything else that people kind of classify as a "higher level."

 
Why did you ultimately choose to go to a Junior College first?
I chose Junior College for many reasons. Junior College is a great way to get an affordable
education while playing at a high level. The JuCo I went to was both of these things and more.

Junior Colleges sometimes get overlooked.  What are some of the positives and negatives of a
junior college in your mind?
Some positives include that JuCo can be a great level to play and get experience. Some JuCos
are better than NAIA, D3, D2, and even D1 programs. The biggest part is that it's generally
cheaper than most universities. A negative of JuCo is the stigma about it. A lot of people look

down on JuCo for reasons like it is not as good of an education or it is not as prestigious as
some soccer programs. This is not always true.  

Having played JuCo and D2, what are some of the major differences you can tell us about?
One major difference is that D2 can be a lot more organized. Of course, it depends on what
JuCo and NCAA school you end up transferring to, but in my experience JuCo was a lot less
structured, whether it was transportation, practicing without a coach, or funding. 

Do you feel that JuCo prepared you for D2 soccer?  Why or why not?
Yes. JuCo is a great way to develop in soccer and your education. It can be a great stepping
stone to get you more prepared to transfer to a high-level program and make a lot of progress
in your degree. 

What wa the best part of playing college sports?  What was the hardest part?
The best part is that you are doing something you love with your friends. I have created very
strong relationships with people through soccer. I have a lot of teammates I still keep in touch
with, visit, and play with. Some of these friendships are extremely valuable. The hardest part is
the sacrifices you have to make. Not going out, balancing school and soccer, late travel days,
early conditioning, and a lot of other things are things you have to give up or end up doing
when you might not want to. That being said, it is a privilege to be in that small percentage of
people playing college soccer doing these things. 

Is there anything else you would like to share with high school athletes?
Don't take anything for granted. As I mentioned before, it is a privilege to have the opportunity
to play college soccer. You never know what can come from any opportunity.