Jan. 12, 2025
By Alexandra Lourenço
Editor-in-Chief
Senior captain and center back Kyla Marino’s high school soccer career changed forever on Sept. 17, 2024. Marino was playing in an away game against North Arlington High School when she went to block a shot, collided with a member of the opposing team and had an odd landing when she fell.
Feeling like she had a never-ending cramp in her knee, Marino said she struggled to straighten her left leg.
“Physically, the pain was overwhelming—unlike anything I’d felt before. Mentally, I was upset but [hopeful] because I thought I was going to be able to play again,” Marino said.
The opposing team’s trainer told Marino she could play in the second half, but Head Coach Hykey instructed her to sit out since she was struggling to run. The following day, Marino met with Dr. Casey Pierce, LHS’ orthopedic doctor who works at Academy Orthopedics in Wayne. Pierce ordered an MRI, which determined Marino had sprained her MCL and torn her left ACL.
The ACL is a small ligament behind the kneecap that connects the femur and the tibia. An ACL tear is generally a non-contact injury and can occur for a variety of reasons.
Marino’s injuries ended her final season as a Golden Bear and altered her role on the team.
“I went from being a key player on the field for four years to an observer on the sidelines,” Marino said. “My role shifted to trying to support my teammates from the bench, but it never felt the same.”
Marino underwent ACL repair surgery on Oct. 11. She said her injuries, which will take six to eight months to heal, not only affect her athletically but impact all aspects of her life.
“I [have] to juggle rehab sessions and school, and being unable to participate in other physical activities felt limiting,” Marino said. “It is hard to watch everyone move forward while I am still stuck recovering.”
According to the National Center for Health Research, college athletes at the Division II and III levels are 1.6 times more likely to incur ACL tears on turf than on grass.
Marino said she believes playing on North Arlington’s turf contributed to her injury.
“It is scientifically proven that certain turfs can cause tears,” Marino said. “The way the turf grips cleats can create dangerous traction, making it easier for a player’s knee to twist awkwardly. The turf, combined with aggressive moves and sudden stops, definitely increases the risk of ACL injuries.”
Athletic Trainer Tom Thomas said anatomy, hormonal influences, muscle imbalance and movement patterns, like cutting, are also prominent causes of ACL tears.
“It is hard to watch everyone move forward while I am still stuck recovering.”
According to the University of Minnesota Medical School, increased participation in a year-round sport may be a cause for the increase in ACL injuries among teens.
“Sometimes, your body, like your tendons and muscles, are not ready to take the resistance, so that actually causes injuries too,” Thomas said. “If your body is only used in one way of motion… you are missing some aspect of training.”
Thomas said he has been sharing information about ACL injury prevention with LHS’ coaches since 2010. One program he notified coaches about is FIFA 11, which focuses on cutting, dealing with impact and strengthening balance.
“A lot of the teams that focus on getting strong and big sometimes forget about [doing] single leg balance, which will help with ankle proprioception, [and] how to fall [and] land properly,” Thomas said. “If they add that too, they will cut down [on] injuries.”
Thomas said implementing different types of training, such as cross-training and yoga, in addition to proper sleep and nutrition, helps athletes perform better and reduce their risk of injury.
Thomas has firsthand experience with ACL injuries, having sustained two himself. He tore his right ACL in 1998 while playing soccer in an adult league, and he tore his left ACL while skiing in 2005. He said after his repair surgeries, he never returned to his former condition as an athlete.
“It is not that easy to come back,” Thomas said.
Studies show women are at a higher risk of ACL injuries than men. According to the National Medical Library, females are four to six times more likely than men to tear their ACL, and the journal Sports Engineering attributes women’s susceptibility to ACL injuries to a lack of research about female body types.
Hykey said approximately six girls on the soccer team have incurred ACLs tears during her 15 years coaching. She said most of these athletes played three sports and played defense or midfield.
She said women have wider hips than men, which makes them more likely to incur ACL injuries.
“Sports are designed for men, so [that should be considered] when designing things for women’s sports,” Hykey said.
She said another reason for the increase in injuries is because competitive sports have become more intense.
“There could also be an overuse factor,” Hykey said. “Our bodies are only able to withstand so much.”
Hykey said the North Jersey Interscholastic Conference has taken steps to offer more rest time to athletes, thus reducing their chances of injury. This year, the league began all fall sports earlier in August and started the state tournament a week later to give teams more leeway in scheduling games.
Despite the NJIC’s efforts, ACL injuries continue to have devastating consequences for student-athletes.
Sophomore Landon Bonilla was playing safety for the varsity football team at an away game against Lodi on Sept. 7, 2024 when he tackled the player with the ball on a running play. Upon the impact, Bonilla said he landed weirdly and felt a pop in his left leg. He tried to get up but immediately fell back down. This tackle ended his first season on the varsity football team.
“In the moment, I was wondering how long I was going to be out for, and once I got the news that I tore my ACL, I was devastated,” Bonilla said.
While this was a difficult time for Bonilla, he said, after his ACL repair surgery on Sept. 22, 2024, his friends, coaches and teammates lifted his spirits.
“They would always check up on me, see if I was good, [and] ask if I needed anything for school when I missed a week of school. They were all supportive, which helped me a lot,” Bonilla said.
He said he now feels optimistic about his recovery.
“I go to physical therapy three times a week, and [the sessions] definitely help me so much,” Bonilla said. “I’ve been making good progress.”
