NOTE: The following appeared in the latest edition of Sovereign, RSL's quarterly program.
Of the myriad lessons Mike Petke learned while playing soccer at Southern Connecticut State University, the one that stands out the most focuses on taking advantage of every opportunity that comes.
“Seize the moment,” Petke said. “Tomorrow comes, but the past is gone then.”
Those thoughts helped him win a NCAA Division II National Championship at Southern and reach three other Final Fours. It also helped him pursue his athletic dreams in a 13-year MLS career that then propelled him into the coaching ranks. In May, he was inducted into the Southern Connecticut State University Hall of Fame, putting an exclamation point on his time with one of the premier Division II teams in the country at that time.
“It’s an absolute honor and privilege to say that I was a part of not only NCSU soccer, but NCSU as a university,” Petke said in accepting the award via a video – he was coaching RSL to a victory over New York City FC the night of the induction ceremony.
Petke’s path to Southern was pretty straightforward. As a well-recruited high school senior, he went on visits to five colleges – four Division I schools and the fifth to Southern Connecticut State University. While the other four promised the chance to play right away, Head Coach Ray Reid instead challenged Petke. After offering a scholarship, Reid told Petke he may never see the field and that he would need to prove that he deserved playing time.
That was all he needed to hear.
“I like a challenge,” Petke said. “To hear Coach Reid say that was the tipping point to push me over the edge to go there.”
He did earn a starting spot during his freshman season and helped the Owls reach the Final Four, but after a loss to Tampa in a shootout the semifinals, he vowed to remember that feeling the next season. As a sophomore, they won the championship, posting a 21-1-1 record. In Petke’s four years from 1994-1997, Southern went 79-3-7, but he still regretted missing out on more national champions.
“Being a part of that history was something I’ll never forget,” he said. “It’s a part of who I am and who my family is.”
