Since joining the Hofstra University women’s soccer team in 2022, Margaret Peterson has endured an up-and-down career. At the beginning of the 2023 season, Peterson earned a starting role as a forward and had sky-high expectations for her sophomore season.

“Last season [2023], I was starting so I expected to be playing 70 minutes and up a game, but that didn’t happen,” Peterson said.

In an early season matchup against Farleigh Dickinson University (FDU). Peterson went down with a torn ACL and meniscus, bringing her season to an early and unexpected end.

“I felt it initially that something weird, like, unstable happened,” she said. “But when I was on the ground, I didn’t feel any pain. It was more just the shock of it that made me start crying.”

Peterson’s initial shock and lack of pain had her feeling fine before she got the news that her season was over.

“The doctor came over and then my trainer and the doctor knew right away that it was torn,” she said.

With the news of her injury, Peterson knew that she had a long road ahead of her.

“You just start thinking about it was the fifth game of the season,” she said. “I just got the starting spot, and you just know that you have a whole year ahead of you and a lot of hard work to do. It’s just heartbreaking.”

With such a devastating injury, Peterson’s day-to-day life and workout routine changed drastically too.

“Probably the biggest thing that has changed my life for many years to come is that before I didn’t really like to lift,” she said. “I couldn’t run for a while because I also tore my meniscus. I was on crutches for six weeks. I couldn’t walk for six weeks. So, the only thing I could do really to work out was to lift [my] upper body. And I guess I’ve really learned to love doing that.”

Additionally, Peterson learned what it was like to also be a typical college student.

“You get to experience not having the pressure of failing at practice or the mental part of it,” Peterson said.

Despite such a devastating injury, Peterson was confident in her ability to return to the pitch.

“I’ve torn my other knee before, so I went through the whole process once,” Peterson said.

With a long-term injury, it’s normal for players to take time to ramp up and return to game speed, which Peterson is still working through.

“I think I still have my speed. It’s just my endurance that I’m still working on,” she said. “It’s not there yet. So, like, if I make a run at a 100% speed in the game, it just takes me a lot longer to recover and keep going.”

Peterson suffered the injury on Aug. 31, 2023, but she was not cleared to play until the second week of the 2024 preseason, nearly a full year after the incident. Because of this, she recognizes that she has yet to reach her prior form.

“I think it takes a lot of time,” Peterson said. “Pre-season already started, and I didn’t get cleared. And I went straight into two-a-days. But it was a lot to go from not doing anything for a whole year, to going right into the start of the season and then playing – it was a lot.”

During her time injured, her teammate, Thea Bergsten also suffered a year-long injury. The two formed a tight bond through their time out.

“We did everything together. We swam for cardio because we couldn’t run. We went to the gym. We biked. We pushed each other, and I think she was a big part of getting me through my injury,” Peterson said.

A the beginning of this season, Peterson was ready to return from her year-long injury. She made her return in Hamden, Connecticut against Quinnipiac University.

It was just a lot of adrenaline,” she said “You spend so much time, week after week in [physical therapy], sitting on the sideline five days a week at practice and not being able to do anything. The second you get the opportunity to go in, you’re not really nervous.”

Then finally, against FDU – the same team she was playing against when she tore her ACL over a year ago – Peterson found the back of the net for her first collegiate goal.

“I mean, it was kind of funny though because the days leading up to that game, I kept saying how funny would it be if I score my first goal against them; that would be a crazy full circle moment,” Peterson said. “And when I scored, I mean, you could probably see from the video, everyone was really happy for me. That felt like the moment where I knew I had made it through it, and I was on the next step.”

Now that she is past the recovery process, Peterson is focused on the season ahead.

“Right now, I’m dealing with a little bit of the return to play side injuries from your body not being used to the amount of work that you’re doing,” she said. “So right now, it’s probably, first, taking care of those so that I can work on my fitness, so I can increase my minutes. And then hopefully, rack up some goals and assists and get a ring as well.”

Peterson is also excited to show the best of herself on the field.

“For me as a player, my favorite thing to do is just to drive within and cross it,” she said. “I think I’m strong on the ball, holding it up, and the physical battle.”

Hofstra opened CAA play on Thursday, Sept. 19, and was picked second in the preseason poll. Peterson believes that this team can win another conference championship.

“I think this team is really determined,” Peterson said, “Every single game that we’ve played, even if it’s not our best game, every single person on the field is putting in 110%, and everyone on the sideline is also putting in everything into the team. So, I think we’re going to make it far this year.”

Photo courtesy of Royce Dickson-Child