For the Lady Knights (4-2-1) to get back to the East Coast Conference playoffs this season, they will have to overcome the adversity created by recent injuries to some key players.
Starters Bridget Gleason, Alexandra Troiano and Christina Porco have suffered in-game injuries while Julia Berhart and Elizabeth Eberhart injured themselves during preseason play. Some players may only miss a couple of games but Porco, a junior, may be out for the remainder of the season.
“We’ve had to lean on some players a little more than we would have planned or would have liked to because of some injuries and few games in short succession,” head coach Carl Christian said. “We had a couple of freshmen starting last night and they’ve done a pretty good job under the circumstances but ideally you want to go into the game with more experience and stronger starters.”
Starting center midfielder Alexandra Troiano pulled her quad early in the season during a scrimmage against New Haven University. She continued to play in the first two official non-conference games of the season against Pace University and St. Anselm. But she then reinjured her quad during a game against Merrimack College on Sept. 5, which has caused her to miss four games.
“Injuries always have an effect on a team and we feel for our teammates that have to deal with them,” said captain Allison Breakey. “Injuries are unfortunate, but they are part of the game. We will deal with them, work to get our players healthy and look forward to the task on hand.”
Starting sweeper Christina Porco suffered the most severe injury. During a game at Chestnut Hill on Sept. 12, Porco suffered a fractured nose and broken orbital bone. Her injury can require six weeks of recuperation. Porco is unsure if surgery is necessary, which would force her to miss more time.
Christian said it is very unlikely that Porco will play again this season.
“We’ve done pretty well so far considering all the adversity,” said Christian. “I have some concerns in terms of games coming up. The aim is to get into the playoffs. It’s going to be tougher this year than last year but we have to understand and prepare ourselves and find a way to get results.”
