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Not How It Was Supposed To Be
Sept. 29, 2008
By Brian Bickerstaff, Sports Information Intern This was supposed to be the season. This was supposed to be the season that Stefanie Baduria overcame not one, but two ACL surgeries in the past six years. This was supposed to be the season that Stefanie Baduria would lead the Lions back to the NCAA Tournament. This was supposed to be the season that Stefanie Baduria proved that college soccer is about more than just wins and losses - that it is about perseverance, determination, and a little luck. This was the supposed to be the season that Stefanie Baduria came back. A senior academically in 2007-08, Baduria graduated from LMU last May with a degree in Liberal Studies with a minor in Elementary Education but decided to return to campus this year to continue playing soccer. It was an easy decision for her. "I had a year of eligibility left... I wanted to keep playing and I couldn't leave without finishing soccer," she says. Stefanie was an athlete at a young age. Like most younger siblings, she was highly competitive with her older brother, Andrew, growing up. She wanted to be just like him; to follow in his footsteps of taking up soccer as her sport of choice. Andrew was heavily recruited out of high school, going on to Cal State San Bernardino to play collegiate soccer. Stefanie attended Rosary High School in Fullerton but never played a minute there. Instead, she focused on club soccer, leading Slammers FC to state, regional and national championships in 2000. She was good enough to be included in the US Under-19 National Team pool and was also heavily recruited coming out of high school, gaining interest from UC Berkeley to the University of San Diego to LMU. She only felt at home here in Los Angeles. "The other schools were nice, but once I came to Loyola I just fell in love with the place," she says.
Yet, Stefanie's high school career was cut short by her first ACL injury, which came during her junior year while she was playing at the Surf Cup in San Diego. Despite missing her entire senior season, she was welcomed at LMU with open arms. Unfortunately, she did not heal correctly from the ACL tear and missed most of her freshman season with stress fractures in both of her shins. Stefanie was determined to make it back healthy, which she did, making her LMU debut against Pepperdine on October 10, 2004. She would play in six matches her freshman season, performing well enough to be named to the West Coast Conference All-Freshman Team. She also excelled in the classroom, being named to the Director's List in the fall and the Dean's List in the spring of that year. After an offseason where she was finally healthy, Stefanie had high hopes for her sophomore year. But on the last day of team double days in August, she suffered her second ACL injury. This time she would be out for the entire season. She ended up redshirting that year on a medical hardship waiver, allowing herself another season of eligibility. When Stefanie returned after the injuries that had cost her nearly two years of playing soccer, she knew she had to make some changes. "I had to play smarter, because the knee still hurt. I learned that I needed to be more technical and not try to be as quick and beat defenders with speed." She wore a protective brace on the knee, leading teammates to call her "The Creaking Knee" with every step she took. Her sophomore and junior years, Stefanie returned to start virtually every game at midfield, tallying three goals and six assists over the course of those two seasons despite playing with the large and cumbersome knee brace. In 2006, she was a vital component in LMU earning an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament, just the second postseason appearance in school history. She garnered Honorable Mention All-WCC and Academic All-Conference awards her junior year while shining in the classroom, being named to the Director's List in the fall and Dean's List in the spring. At the conclusion of her junior season, 2007, Stefanie had a decision to make. She was due to graduate in May and could get on with her life. Yet, within her, she felt that there was unfinished business. She shed the knee brace and decided to come back for a fifth season, enrolling in the School of Education to pursue a Master's degree. So here she was, back out on the field for the Lions in 2008, the season that was supposed to be everything she wanted. Named a team captain, she had the Lions poised at the beginning of the season to head into the ever-strong West Coast Conference. Then disaster struck. Early in the team's 3-1 win against UC Irvine on September 5, Stefanie got tangled with a defender, going down with her knee in one hand and possibly, her season in the other. It was a feeling that was all too familiar to her. "When we got tangled up and I went down, I knew right away it was the same injury." Stefanie underwent an MRI exam on the knee, and upon receiving the results, doctors told her she had partially torn the anterior cruciate ligament, partially torn the posterior cruciate ligament, and fully torn the meniscus in her left knee. She was told she could rehab the knee for a month and try to play with the brace on, or undergo season-ending surgery. This was not how the season was supposed to go. Stefanie isn't about to give up on this season or her team. Being a captain is more than providing leadership on the field. "I can still be the captain without playing. I'm a leader and I have to stay strong for my teammates." In particular, she talks about her "bodyguard", midfielder Tiffany Harrison, and "The Wall", defender Kim Feeney, some of her closest friends on the team. They still see the fire in their fallen teammate. "She wanted it so bad," Feeney says. "She's sort of a modern-day hero. She has a lot of support from the team to help her cope." Harrison adds, "Stefanie is without a doubt the go-to person on our team for anything we need addressed. She provides so much encouragement." Missing Stefanie at midfield is a huge blow to the Lions, particularly because of her skill on the ball and how tricky she is, and she's always positive on the field. Although her talents will be missed on the field, that positive attitude will continue to urge the Lions on from the sideline, during practices and games. This was supposed to be the season. But this is not how it was supposed to go. |
