The Gibson Southern girls soccer team started strong as a complete team this season, until two players, juniors Brylie Kern and Corinne Stevens, sustained injuries and changed players’ roles on the team.
Kern started the season recovering from two hip surgeries. She came back strong during the Heritage Hills game. However, with four minutes left in the game, she tore her ACL.
“ … I’m unable to do any physical activity,” Kern said. “Before surgery, I was able to walk. Now, I’m gaining the strength to walk again. Therapy is extremely hard and takes a lot of discipline. On the other hand, the mental part has been just as hard if not harder. I love soccer, and it’s a stress reliever. So, it’s hard not playing.”
Stevens fractured a spot on her hip during the North Posey match. The injury affected her both mentally and physically.
“The injury affected my speed a lot and my aggressiveness at first when I got back,” Stevens said. “It also affected my team because we had to play with one less person.”
Stevens was not prepared for being out of the game. Every day that went by, she was ready to get back out there and join her team.
“I was out for about three weeks,” she said. “I felt more grateful for the time I did get to play. Standing on the sideline made me want to be a player more than ever. I just wanted to be able to help my team.”
Kern plays on a travel team for the Elite Clubs National League. Despite missing out on the rest of her high school season, Kern anticipates she will be ready to go when she rejoins the Lady Titan squad.
“I can start training no contact in January and go back to playing in March if all goes as planned, and I stay on top of therapy,” Kern said. “This will be just in time for the majority of my ECNL soccer travel season, so I will be ready and in shape for the high school season.”
To a head coach, having two of a team’s best players hurt is difficult to navigate during games, but head coach Sylvia Sellers made it work.
“It was hard having two of our best players out at the same time,” Sellers said. “It was really good having Brylie back, and seeing her get injured again really hurt the team and how we played together.”
A midfielder is one of the most important spots on the team, as they take most control. Other players on the team had to step up and take the roles of both Kern and Stevens.
“I’ve been a varsity midfielder for the past three years,” Kern said. “The midfield controls the game, so I was a big part of that. But, my teammates stepped up when I got injured and they did a great job.”
The Gibson Southern Lady Titans ended their season on Wednesday, October 16, 2024, against the Mater Dei Lady Wildcats in the first round of the Regional, losing 5-0.
