Aubrey Wright knew it was bad. But it wasn’t the pain she was worried about.
Wright is a junior at Archbishop Ryan High School, and last year early in the Catholic League portion of the schedule, she got hurt.
She knew it was bad, but she didn’t accept it right away.
“It was the third PCL game, we were playing Conwell-Egan, I went for a tackle and I heard a pop,” said Wright, who lives in Somerton. “I went down, and I knew I was hurting, but I begged to go back into the game. I didn’t want to accept the fact that I was injured. I kept trying to go back, and eventually they let me and it popped again. I had to come out.
“I was scared because I knew it was going to keep me from playing. I didn’t want that.”
The injury didn’t just spoil the end of her sophomore season.
She also played on the Ragdolls’ basketball and lacrosse teams, so the injury wiped out an entire year of athletics.
But that doesn’t mean she wasn’t still working hard to make sure she was able to compete as soon as possible.
“It was 10 months of rehab and it was really hard, but I had a great time being there,” Wright said. “I see the important things, doing the ground work, doing the band work, not just lifting weights. It was 100 percent harder than soccer. I never did PT or lifting before, it was all very new to me. It wasn’t easy, but I knew I had to do it.
“First I had physical therapy, and just trying to get my knee bent. That was the hardest part. Then I went to strength and conditioning. My goal was August, so I wanted to be back for August. Surgery was the beginning of October, so I didn’t give myself a lot of time. The biggest rule was don’t rush anything. Don’t rush into anything, make sure you’re ready. But I really wanted to be ready for the start of the season.”
She was.
After getting cleared in July, Wright has been back leading the Ragdolls. And she couldn’t be happier about how things worked out.
“I was really motivated because I knew if I was back by July, I could play,” Wright said. “The hardest part was mental. I wasn’t scared, I knew I’d be fine. It wasn’t going to kill me. But I was scared I wouldn’t be as good as when I came off. That’s what I’m facing, I’m pushing myself to do better. I’m pushing myself. I’m going to be better because now I’m stronger.”
So far, so good.
She’s back and contributing, and she’s doing more than ever, and she’s doing it from a new position since she moved from defense to up top. She also took on another new role to help the Ragdolls.
“I always played defense, but I love to score,” said Wright, who scored a goal during the preseason and another in Ryan’s PCL opener, a win. “It gets everyone going, and I like that they rely on me to score.
“I’m someone who will play anywhere, whatever we need. And as a leader, I feel that’s important. We only have one senior. We have four captains, our senior and three juniors. It means a lot to me to be one. I feel like they look up to me to show them how to do things. I like the pressure. I like that they look up to me. It makes me want to be the best person I can be. It’s pressure, but it’s good pressure to have. It makes you a better player.”
Now her goal is to make the Ragdolls better.
Ryan has been one of the top teams in the Catholic League for the better part of two decades. And while Wright has had plenty of good times at Ryan, she’s yet to experience the thrill of hoisting the Catholic League championship plaque.
“I like that we’re coming into the season as underdogs because the last two seasons, we were expected to be one of the best in the league, and we were good, but it’s a very tough league. This year, we’re underdogs. We need to improve and get better every game. That’s how we will get back on top.”
And Wright is willing to do whatever it takes to get there. Just as she did last year.
After her injury, Wright was spending time rehabbing instead of practicing. But whenever her rehab schedule allowed, if she wasn’t improving herself in physical therapy, she was at Ryan providing inspiration.
“It motivated me a lot to get back because I was on the bench, but I wanted to be on the field so bad,” Wright said. “It’s not just soccer, but basketball and lacrosse. I wanted to be there. I was the manager. I wanted to help anyway I could.”
She might go a different route this winter. She still plans on playing lacrosse, but might give up basketball for track. That will help prepare her for soccer, which she hopes to play in college.
She’ll also help anywhere she’s needed.
“I ran a cross country meet, they needed some girls, they asked us to run,” Wright said. “I said yeah. So I’ll do indoor track. In the PCL, I think we came in top three, me and the Ryan people. It was pretty cool.
“I like doing all this. I hate being bored. And I really love Ryan. I love the school itself. I like how all the teachers have great relationships with students, not just as a student, but as a friend almost. I was excited to go there, both my parents went there and my sister played there. It’s become a big part of my life. I really love Ryan.”
Her family is also a big part of her life.
“My mom and dad, my dad is the biggest supporter ever, even when I didn’t want to go, he would motivate me to go and be the best I can be,” Wright said. “Mom never knew that much about soccer, but she supports me when I have a bad game. They both go to all my games and are always there.
“And my sister helps me a lot, too. We never played together, but I remember going to watch her, under the lights playing for Ryan. That’s what made me want to do it.”
