This week’s athlete of the week is UMC Soccer player, Maggie Peterson, a junior forward from Princeton, where she attended Princeton High School. Peterson helped Minnesota Crookston win its first match of the season on Tuesday in a 3-2 victory over Minot State in Crookston. Peterson participated in all three goals with two assists and a goal in the win. Peterson leads UMC in goals and assists with 3 
of each this season in her 15 starts. She’s also paced the team with 24 shots, twice as many as any other player. “She’s posed a threat all year,” explained UMC head coach Kyle Halfpop. “She’s our focal point attacking wise. She’s the attacking player we want to go through. We asked her to take a little bit more risk going forward yesterday, and she scored shortly after that. Our attack ing is starting to come into the forefront now, and it was nice to see her come forward because she’s worked so hard, so for her to be a part of all three goals was great.”
Peterson was sidelined a lot due to injury during the 2018 season. She appeared in eight games and started three games in which Peterson tallied 303 minutes on the season. She took three total shots on the season, with one shot on goal.
In 2017, along with fellow forward Vanessa Shelton, Peterson was one of two freshmen to appear in all 17 games, 15 of which she started. Maggie’s only point on the season came via assist against Winona St. She recorded 14 shots, 6 of which were on goal along with 1076 minutes.
Before attending UMC, Peterson was a 2016 Ms. Soccer finalist in Minnesota. She was a 2015 and 2016 All-State selection. Peterson earned Second Team All-State accolades as a sophomore and was named All-Mississippi 8 Conference as a sophomore, junior, and senior. Peterson was named All-Conference Honorable Mention as an eighth-grader and freshman. She was her team’s soccer captain as a junior and senior. Peterson was a five-year soccer letter winner while helping her team to two Mississippi 8 conference titles and two section titles. Peterson helped lead Princeton High School to two Minnesota State Tournament appearances, including a fourth-place finish in 2015. She ended her career with 68 goals and 24 assists. Her goal total is the record at Princeton High School. Peterson also played hockey for Princeton High School, where she was a five-year letter winner. She was an All-Conference honoree as a freshman, sophomore, junior, and senior. As an eighth-grader, Peterson was an All-Conference Honorable Mention. She helped Princeton High School to a conference title as a junior. Peterson was team captain as a senior. Peterson is the all-time points leader for Princeton High School hockey.
First started playing soccer – When I was three years old
What do you feel is the strongest part of your game – I believe my strongest part of my game is my vision offensively, making runs and distributing the ball
Part of your game that needs work – I’m on the shorter side, so winning balls in the air is a challenge sometimes
Toughest Soccer player you’ve ever faced – Latafale Niumeitolu, UMC teammate
Biggest thrill in your athletic career so far – I think one of the most thrilling moments for me as an athlete was the second time my high school team went to the Minnesota State Tournament. A ton of fans from our high school came to the game to support us. The team we played was heavily favored to win. We took the game to a shoot out. Our team won, and I was able to score on the penalty shot I took
Do you have a pre-game ritual – My favorite pre-game ritual is dancing with the team in the locker room
Favorite sport – Soccer/Hockey
Favorite sports team – USWNT/Blackhawks
Favorite athlete – Vanessa Shelton
Favorite TV program – Spongebob
Favorite food – My mother’s homemade lasagna
What music are you listening to – Depends on my mood
Something about you that people don’t know – I was born in Illinois and moved to Minnesota when I was two years old
You’re stranded on a deserted island, and you can have ANY three people with you – Vanessa and our cat Snooki
Plans after graduation – Go to Graduate School to become an Occupational Therapist
Family (occupations for parents or age for siblings) –
Dad – David (Works for Milk Specialties Global as a Sr. Financial Analyst)
Mom – Megan (Works for Catholic Charities as a Coordinator for Senior Dining and the Meals on Wheels Program)
Sister – Maddy (Plays hockey at RPI)
