Bursting onto the wing in his sophomore season is midfielder Jake Lane, who’s bringing all the tricks and flicks to the pitch for BGSU men’s soccer.
Lane began being recruited to Bowling Green during the 2022 season. When he came to watch the Falcons battle rivals Akron, he was sold on the program.
“They got me over here for an official visit, and that was just amazing,” said Lane. “They played Akron, and I remember it was a classic Mid-American Conference game. Just seeing the way they fought against a big name like Akron, I was like, ‘Yeah, okay,’ I kind of want to play for these guys.”
What many don’t know about Lane is that his father, Rich Lane, played soccer at Bowling Green from 1985-88 under the late great Gary Palmisano.
As a father, Rich wanted Jake to pursue his own path.
“My dad’s my biggest role model in life,” said Lane. “He didn’t necessarily push me to start playing soccer as much when I was younger. But the second I felt like the thing was okay to swim in, he made it one of his goals to fill me in any way that he could.”
As one would expect, Rich played a huge role in the recruitment of Jake to BGSU despite having a completely different experience during his time in Bowling Green.
“If things were different and were closer to the experience [Rich] had when he was here at Bowling Green, he might not have pushed for it as hard,” said Lane. “But after seeing the way the campus was, the way the team was—just everything kind of fell together.
It’s not a secret how far the program has come under head coach Eric Nichols, who’s in his 16th season at the helm of the Falcons.
Nichols has seen many highs and lows throughout his years, along with many players who have worn the Orange and Brown. But when scouting Lane, his ability on the ball was something that caught the eye of Nichols and the Falcons.
He’s one of the most technical players that I’ve ever coached,” said Nichols. “We weren’t sure quite how his skillset was going to translate into college soccer, specifically in the Midwest. But he had so many of the intangibles and the tangibles that we decided to give it a go.”
Only in his sophomore season, Nichols believes Lane has only scratched the surface of his potential.
“We put him into games because we know he’s going to make something happen. He runs at defenders; he can give defenders nightmares,” said Nichols. “He still needs to become a little bit more complete. But he’s got a high ceiling; he’s so driven that he’s not someone you would want to bet against.”
It wasn’t always easy for Lane before he committed to play collegiately at Bowling Green; he moved from his hometown of Chicago, Illinois, to Phoenix, Arizona, after his sophomore year in St. Patrick High School, to go play at Barça Residency Academy.
The reason? He wanted to continue to improve his craft and get away from anything that wasn’t going to help him achieve his goals.
“It was a huge sacrifice. I left my family for two years,” said Lane. “I moved over there; I just went over there for a trial when I was a junior, and while I was there, I just kind of felt everyone; you know, the feeling was just all about soccer. That was really what I was looking for, and that honestly helped me get to where I am today.”
Anyone can imagine how hard it is to leave home at such a young age, but the advantage of being a part of a team is that you have upperclassmen to help you adjust.
When Lane came to Bowling Green, that person was junior midfielder Andrew Shaffer, who was even involved in helping Lane score his first collegiate goal.
“From the first day, Shaffer was helping me out. All the videos of me juggling and stuff like that. He would always slide up on my stories and be like, ‘I can’t wait to play with you.’ Four months later, the season rolled around, and he assisted my first goal, so that was just super cool.”
Lane is all about soccer, using his game to express himself as a person, and loves putting on a show for the fans.
“I feel like my personality and my football kind of go hand in hand,” said Lane. “I love to play with a smile on my face. I love to entertain and do things on the ball that people are like, ‘Oh wow, that’s amazing.’ I love to be in the present moment with everyone; I don’t want to put myself higher than anyone.”
No matter the challenge, Lane will always strive to keep a hard-working, positive mindset in order to fulfill his childhood dream.
What dream might that be? To play professional soccer.
“I’m trying to play at the professional level. It’s been a dream of mine since I was seven, and it’s certainly not something I’m ready to give up,” said Lane. “I trust that [Nichols] wants me to get better, and he trusts that I want to get better no matter the conditions; no matter if the criticism might be ugly, he knows that he can trust me to handle it because, at the end of the day, I want to be somewhere where it’s going to be harsh; that’s just the life that I want to live.”
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