The scoreboard read 25:00 minutes remaining in the second half of the varsity girls’ soccer game against Nerinx Hall on April 12. Freshman Ella Roesch was sprinting towards the ball when a player on the opposition ran into her, causing Roesch to fall to the ground. Next thing she knew, she was surrounded by her teammates, coaches and trainers as an ambulance was coming to take her to the hospital.
All Roesch knew was that her neck and spine were in pain, and she feared that her soccer career was coming to a close.
“I think I was knocked unconscious because I woke up and didn’t really know what was going on. I couldn’t remember much which was really scary,” Roesch said. “When I was in the ambulance, I was nervous. It felt and seemed so serious. I have had many injuries in the past, but none where I ended up in an ambulance going to the emergency room.”
After recently being moved up to the varsity soccer team, Roesch was upset that she got hurt and could not play with her team.
“I was really frustrated because I felt like I didn’t do my best in the first half, and when I went in during the second half, I was doing a lot better, but then I got hurt. I just felt like I could’ve helped the team more, it was kind of heartbreaking,” Roesch said.
After the game, varsity soccer coach Annie Wayland visited Roesch in the hospital to check up on her.
“She was in good spirits and everyone was being very supportive. Ella’s parents were there so I think she was a little more comfortable,” Wayland said. “It was the best choice to call an ambulance because we were dealing with a spinal injury and we wanted to air on the side of caution. When I was at the hospital, I don’t think she was afraid anymore, because she had more feeling in her neck.”
Fortunately, the CT scan came back negative, showing no major nerve or bone damages. However, Roesch still has neck and back pain, so she is taking some time away from the soccer field.
“It sucks that I have to take some time off,” Roesch said. “But I’m glad nothing major is wrong, and I will be counting the days until I’m allowed back on the field.”
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