Junior Isabella Lopez is stepping onto the high school soccer field for the first time this season, but her journey to get there has been far from easy. Before ever playing for the high school team, Lopez spent a year fighting her way back from a Medial Collateral Ligament (MCL) injury, which tested every part of her identity as an athlete.
Last spring, Lopez tore her MCL during a club tournament while trying to guard a girl from scoring the ball.
“I was going in for a 50–50 against another girl during a club game. When I planted my foot, it got stuck in the turf, and my knee twisted in a way it shouldn’t have. That’s when my MCL completely tore,” she said.
Doctors told her that recovery could take up to a year. The news brought her to tears, one year without her passion.
“At first, I didn’t believe them. I was devastated,” Lopez said. “When the MRI came back and confirmed I needed surgery, it hit me all at once. I cried every day for about a week, until I finally realized that crying wasn’t going to change anything. The only thing I could do was focus on recovering as fast as possible.”
Those early days were the most difficult for her, as many daily activities that had been so easy for her before became harder over time.
“I felt weak, sad, and honestly hopeless,” she said. “It felt like I would never get better, like I was starting all over from zero.”
Despite never having coached her during the injury, new head coach Gianlucca Rossi said Lopez’s dedication has been obvious from day one. Gianlucca had a previous connection with Lopez from her sophomore-year chemistry class, allowing him to see the type of person she was from the start.
“I think the best word to describe her is fearless,” Rossi said. “Whenever there’s a 50/50 ball, I can always count on her. She’s a great addition to the team. After healing, she’s been doing great, and I’d even consider her a rookie with huge potential.”
Throughout her recovery, Lopez leaned heavily on the people around her.
“My friends and family kept me going,” she said. “I had to adjust to a totally different lifestyle. Simple things like getting in and out of the car were complicated, sleeping hurt, and basic daily tasks felt impossible. Their support pushed me to keep trying.”
But the most challenging part wasn’t the physical pain; it was the feeling of being excluded and alone.
“Watching my teammates play and use skills I used to do without thinking made me wish I had never complained about going to practice,” she said. “Mentally staying strong was way harder than the physical pain.”
Lopez was eventually cleared after months of physical therapy, but returning to the field came with its own fears and a new pressure she had never felt before.
“I was excited and happy, but also extremely scared,” she said. “I didn’t want to get injured again, so I played very cautiously.”
As her soccer season progressed, Lopez slowly gained confidence again. In one of the early games with her new team, she assisted on the winning goal, her first major moment back on the field.
“It felt like all the work was worth it,” she said. “It was a moment that reminded me why I fought so hard to come back.”
Her teammate, junior Nora Henein, who has been on the team for three years, shares her excitement about being able to play with Lopez.
“Isa brings a lot of energy to the team and to all the games, and it really allows me to want to try my hardest,” said Henein.
Now entering her first season with the high-school team, Lopez hopes her journey can be a reminder to others facing setbacks that they aren’t alone and that patience pays off.
“Go to practice. Enjoy the game. Don’t take any moment on the field for granted, because you don’t realize how much you love it until it’s taken away,” she said.
