Student-Athlete Spotlight: Daniela Barbieri makes triumphant return to field following ACL surgery

Nov. 9, 2026

By Jack DePalma
Staff Writer

Lying on the soccer field, with her varsity teammates crowding around her, senior midfielder Daniela Barbieri, then a junior, knew immediately that she had torn her right ACL. She was familiar with the pain, as the previous year, she had torn her left ACL and meniscus.

Barbieri’s season ended in an instant on Sept. 26, 2025, during a home game against Nutley High School when she attempted to cut the ball back for a cross into the box. After the cross, she heard a pop.

“I knew right away. No one was going to change my mind because I already did it the first time, and then when I did it the second time it felt the same,” Barbieri said. “The hardest part [of the experience was] coming back, and then tearing it again, and then having just to restart that same process all over again.”

Even on her hardest days, Barbieri said her teammates were by her side, supporting her throughout her recovery from the surgery she underwent in October 2025.

“They still invited me out, and they came to my house when I needed something,” Barbieri said.

She returned to the field on Oct. 3 in an away game against Tenafly High School, scoring a goal three minutes in, but the team lost 2-4. Then, in the team’s next game on Oct. 6 at home against Eastern Christian High School, she scored another goal, leading her team to a 3-0 win.

“The second she stepped onto the field, it was such a huge moment.”

Barbieri said scoring two goals in her first two games back made her feel like her old self again.

“It’s a one-of-a-kind feeling that not many people would understand. I was just full of excitement and looking forward to the rest of the season,” Barbieri said.

Head Coach Hykey, who has coached Barbieri since she was a freshman, said Barbieri stands out as a leader and role model for the younger players.

“We complain about things, and we feel bad for ourselves, and then there are always true stories of people with struggles overcoming them, so she’s somebody who can teach that lesson to the other girls,” Hykey said.

She said the other players are inspired not only by Barbieri’s perseverance but also by her ability.

“She is one of our most technical players, and she’s one of our smartest players, so she elevates the game,” Hykey said. “She brings another level of skill and knowledge to the field, [which] helps the girls feel more confident.”

Senior goalkeeper Adriana Canaris, one of Barbieri’s closest friends and a teammate since second grade, said the away game on Oct. 3 against Tenafly High School was one of the most special soccer memories they shared on the field.

“The second she stepped onto the field, it was such a huge moment,” Canaris said. “I’m so glad that she came back because she deserves it.”

Canaris said she was impressed by Barbieri’s attitude as she recovered.

“She was very positive. She never really got down on herself… because she was going to come back. She was never like, ‘No, I’m done with soccer,’” Canaris said. “She kept pushing and worked really hard to come back because she wanted… to play her last season.”