I always thought I was blessed with the work ethic and athletic prowess to stand out from the rest. I played at the highest level of youth soccer while growing up in the USA and I had committed to play Division 1 soccer at Northeastern University. With intentions to play professionally, I stepped into the collegiate athletics environment with hopes and aspirations for what was to come. Injuries, setbacks, and excuses. I was fortunate enough to have made it so far without having dealt with any of them. I thought to myself, “It could never be me”. As athletes, we always carry this sense of invincibility, feeling like if we work hard enough and do all the right things nothing can happen to us. I tore my right ACL and meniscus in August of 2021. I thought that I would never play at the professional level, let alone finish playing at the collegiate level. It wasn’t until after I recovered that I realized how much room I had for character growth before the injury.
My ACL Injury
My third year, the first day of preseason had a level of tension that was to be expected at the Division 1 level. Before we were to compete against any other school, we had to compete with each other for starting positions on the field. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, we were unable to do so the previous season, and there were a lot of new changes post-pandemic to the system of scouting and playing. Because of this, we had many new faces who had been recruited but were unable to play due to the global shutdown. They were eager to show out, but so were the returning players. The intensity was so high that there were several injuries in the preseason alone, but I successfully made it through the preseason with nothing but a few bruises.
I played the first game of the season and thought that I was on my way to securing my spot in the starting 11. In the second game of the season, we played against Bryant University. Having grown accustomed to playing on turf, I was excited to see that Bryant had a grass field. Despite having thought that grass was safer and softer on joints than turf, this is where I suffered my unfortunate injury.
As a defensive midfielder, I prided myself on my ability to win the ball in the middle of the field and control the tempo of the game. I’ve gone into more slide tackles and physical battles for the ball than I could ever count or recollect. However, I remember this challenge for the ball as if it were only yesterday. In this particular intense battle for the ball, I won, but at a great cost. The opposing player received the ball and I made sure to be close enough on his first touch to make his next decision was a difficult one. We were positioned in the left-center area of the field, and I turned my hips to lead him towards the inside, where I knew I had teammates to assist me should he get past me, but I was never going to let that happen. He set his feet, and I realized he intended to dribble. I anticipated his dribble to the inside and stripped the ball from him in an aggressive shoulder-to-shoulder challenge. Knowing that the game was physical, I expected him to retaliate in an effort to win the ball back, but unfortunately, my body was not prepared for the next impact.
