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Logan • Utah State soccer player Jessica Brooksby acknowledges being a little skeptical when Aggies' soccer coach Heather Cairns lofted the idea of her switching from midfield to forward.

"It was tough mentally but I tried to have a positive attitude," Brooksby said. "I thought maybe she could see some potential that I had there that I didn't know."

Brooksby, and her coach, were both right. The sophomore from Hyde Park is leading the Aggies (4-3-1) with three goals and an assist and is one of the reasons Utah State hopes to make some waves in the Mountain West Conference this season.

The Aggies open league play Friday against Colorado College at 1 p.m. in Colorado Springs.

Now Brooksby can't imagine playing anywhere else.

"When I first started it was tough learning to play with my back to the goal," she said. "But I enjoy the position now and I feel like I've come a long way."

Cairns said she was tempted to make the switch because Brooksby was a good technical player.

"She was a pretty high-scoring player as a midfielder so I knew she had a goal scorer's mentality," Cairns said. "Her technical ability was good too, she can handle balls well and is clever with passing so I thought that would translate well into the forward position. I thought we would be stupid not to put her closer to the goal."

Nevertheless, the switch did take a lot of extra work on Brooksby's part.

She pestered senior forward Lauren Roundy with a lot of questions and spent extra hours learning the position.

"The biggest thing was trying to find my shot and not take too many touches," she said. "I learned when I saw it, just take it. That has been the secret to my success this year."

Her good technical skills, plus a quick ability to react, is proving to be a dangerous scoring option for the Aggies.

"She has a lot of intangibles," Cairns said. "She is a soccer junkie and she is thriving better and better for us."

For Brooksby, switching positions might have been a tough challenge, but overcoming tough challenges is nothing new to her.

As a sophomore in high school she tore her right anterior cruciate ligament. Then during her senior year she tore her left ACL.

She went under the knife again when she tore her meniscus after arriving at Utah State.

This year the sophomore was slowed by Achilles tendinitis, but thanks to some good rehab she is moving better now.

"All the injuries were frustrated, but they've made me stronger," she said.

Now she is making the Aggies stronger.

"She is in a great spot," Cairns said. "Last year she was hobbled a bit. Now she is healthy and ready to go." —

Jessica Brooksby file

Vitals: 5-foot-7 forward, sophomore

From: Hyde Park, Utah

Of note: Played in all 22 matches as a freshman, starting four…Tied for fifth in scoring with two goals and two assists as a freshman…Earned academic Mountain West honors…Four-year letter winner at Sky View H.S….Earned all-Valley first-team honors her junior season after scoring eight goals with 10 assists.