The Gonzaga women's soccer team has had an excellent first part of its season. After six official matches, the Zags present a 4-2 record, having played just one match at home. However, the great start has been partially overshadowed by long-lasting injuries that players have recently suffered.
One of the worst injuries for a soccer player is an anterior cruciate ligament tear. The ACL is one of the four major knee ligaments, connecting the femur with the tibia. It prevents the tibia from moving too far forward and from rotating too far inward under the femur. About 80 percent of the sports-related ACL tears are non-contact injuries — the tear occurs after pivoting or landing.
According to studies, female athletes suffer four times as many ACL injuries that male athletes suffer. Steve DeLong, head athletic trainer at Gonzaga, said that this enormous difference exists because women have "narrow femoral match, small ligaments, excessive knee angle and joint laxity."
In past years, ACL tears have been a problem for Gonzaga women's soccer. Three players on the roster are currently sidelined due to this injury: sophomore Cassie Geerdts, redshirt freshman Julia Fjortoft and freshman Mikayla Anderson.
Fjortoft, a forward from Edmonds, Wash., tore her ACL for the second time last spring. Many times, the teams and players blame the field for not being in optimal condition, but Fjortoft rejects that.
"Our field is one of the best on the West Coast, " she said.
Fjortoft still has to cope with her rehabilitation for eight more months.Nevertheless, she is really optimistic and is looking forward to next season.
"Rehab is going well, my knee is feeling so much better. It's just a slow recovery, but I will hopefully be able to run soon and play next season," she said.
After shining in her freshman year with three goals and seven assists, Geerdts was injured in August during the 2011-2012 preseason. Anderson joined the list of the injured last week. Both of them will miss the entire season.
Despite the fact that they will not be able to help their teammates this season, they have solid reasons not to be pessimistic. GU trainers are putting forth a big effort to make complete rehabilitation possible.
"I am very happy with the effort my trainer, Steve DeLong, is putting into my recovery process, rehabilitation is going really well. I am three weeks post-operation and just working on range of motion and strengthening exercises," Geerdts said.
DeLong and his assistant staff prefer to be cautious rather than to risk a possible relapse.
"It takes eight months minimum for this structure to regain its potential," DeLong said. "Professional athletes come back earlier because they are getting paid. Former NFL wide receiver superstar Jerry Rice came back three and a half months after he was injured, but he fractured his kneecap in his first game back."
Furthermore, some soccer players have reached their best performance after tearing their ACL. Xavi Hernández, the Spanish midfielder who plays for FC Barcelona, tore his ligament in December 2005. He has been recognized by the FIFA and France Football as the third best overall player in the world the past two years, and is considered by a vast majority to be the best true midfielder on the planet.
A more local example is redshirt junior Emma Dolcetti, who missed last season after tearing her ACL in the first match. This season, she has already scored three goals, as many as in her 28 previous games in a Zags uniform.
"I love watching Emma do so well out on the field after fighting back from her injury. She is very encouraging to the injured players and a great leader overall," Fjortoft said.
Led by senior captain Sarah Rhodes and by Dolcetti, who have each scored three goals so far, the Bulldogs have won four straight. The team is aiming to extend the streak this week, with two home games against in-state rivals Washington State on Thursday, Sept. 15 at 4 p.m., and Washington on Sunday, Sept.18 at 1 p.m.
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