FULLERTON, Calif. -- The Orange County Register's Mirin Fader sat down and talked with Cal State Fullerton men's soccer player Jacob Perez about the impact he's had coming off the bench this season and the journey he's been on to finally take the pitch with the Titans.
Below is an excerpt from the story.
By Mirin Fader | Full Story
Jacob Perez needed to be one of the 11 on the field for Cal State Fullerton. He probably would have given an arm or a leg to be one of the 11.
But instead he was one of thousands in the crowd at Titan Stadium, sitting in the orange seats, gazing onto the field his freshman, sophomore, junior and senior years at the university.
"I was just a regular student," said Perez, now a fifth-year senior sitting in those same orange seats late afternoon Friday.
No one knew he was a soccer player. No one knew he had tried out and been cut from the team numerous times. No one knew how many sprints he endured in his chase for a Titan jersey.
Perez never missed a Titan home game. He didn't want popcorn or Twizzlers and he certainly didn't want to do 'the wave.'"
"I was just talking to friends, having a good time," said senior Carlos Andrade, a friend on Fullerton's club soccer team, "but Jacob would be paying attention, studying his competition. He wanted to change the game."
Perez grew more driven. "I said to myself, I'm going to play on this field by the time I graduate," he said.
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