Injuries plague women's soccer team

As the women's soccer season began, coach Joe Kelley was pleased with his team's depth. \nFor Kelley, it was one of the team's three largest assets going into this season.\nThree weeks later, Kelley might be biting his tongue.\nThe team, once filled with potential starters, is now frail and thin after a host of injuries has depleted the team's midfield and front. In all, four potential starters have been put on the bench for part or all of the season, and another is playing through an ailment. \n"It takes away a lot," Kelley said. "It really hurts our speed. We are a deep team, but we're getting hurt in the same place, and it's tough to make up for that."\nThe first blow came in June when sophomore Jessie Rabin injured her anterior cruciate ligament, leaving her out for the season. Rabin had started six games for the Hoosiers last year and played in 18.\nFrom there, things calmed down for a while, but as the season progressed, healthy Hoosiers have been hard to find.\nSophomore Kristen Sprunger, who had four goals and two assists in the team's two exhibition games and the season opener against Xavier, suffered a stress-fracture in her right ankle in a practice before the Vermont Classic.\nShe's been sidelined since Aug. 30. The injury resulted from constant strenuous activity including running, practicing and playing.\nBut after missing six games, Sprunger expects to be back in the lineup this week. \n"I should be able to do some practice (Wednesday) and play this weekend," Sprunger said. "It's been really hard not being able to be out there with everyone."\nAnd last week was especially difficult for the Hoosiers as they lost two starters to illness.\nSophomores Emily Markwell and Lisa Tecklenburg, who started every game this year, were forced to sit out both Big Ten games last weekend with ailments. \nFor Tecklenburg, the news isn't as promising.\nAfter undergoing further tests early this week, Tecklenburg said she has to have season-ending ankle surgery to repair a torn ligament in her right ankle.\nThe injury came Sept. 10 in a game against Utah State. Playing on a messy field during a driving rain storm, Tecklenburg was tackled by an Aggie defender with her cleats exposed.\n"It was really rainy, and the girl slid with a lot of power and caused my ankle to roll even though I was wearing an ankle brace, due to a previous injury I had when I was a freshman in high school," Tecklenburg said. "Initially, it hurt really bad but then the pain went to almost nothing while I was (down) on the field. \n"When I tried to stand up and walk, it snapped and I fell. When I was sitting on the bench it snapped a lot more and was very painful." \nFreshman Carly Everett has played in Tecklenburg's place while further tests are conducted on Tecklenburg's ankle.\nMarkwell, who had been fighting a viral infection, was unable to dress for the first Big Ten weekend of the year. She started all 19 games last season in the backfield. She had moved to midfield in her five starts this year and earned two assists.\n"I was running a temperature of 103 and had swollen glands and a sore throat," Markwell said. "It was really hard and upsetting to just sit on the bench and watch us lose this weekend." \nAlthough sitting on the bench was painful for Markwell, on top of the illness, it was an eye-opening experience for the sophomore who was cleared to return to practice yesterday. \n"I guess it was good in the fact that it helped us to see the game from (coach Kelley's) perspective and see the mistakes we were making."\nAs long as the virus doesn't recur, Markwell expects to be back playing this weekend.\nSophomore Kate Kastl made it through the week of practice but was injured in Friday's 1-0 loss to Northwestern. With less than 10 minutes left in the game and the Hoosiers trailing, Kastl made a play on the ball at the Wildcat net where she collided with Northwestern goalie Erin Ekeberg.\nKastl received a hip pointer in the collision that knocked her off the starting lineup Sunday. But she did see action off the IU bench, despite the pain.\n"It mostly (hurts) when I push off," Kastl said after Sunday's games. "It's kind of a pull in my hip. I woke up Saturday morning and I could barely walk."\nAnd with Penn State approaching on the calendar, Kelley said he hopes there will be some empty beds in the trainer's room.\n"Kristen Sprunger ... will maybe be back by next weekend," said Kelley, alluding to the PSU match "And maybe Lisa too. We usually play Penn State tough, so it will be interesting to see what happens."\nKastl also expects to play Friday.\nWith much of the Hoosier's scoring pop on the bench, Kelley has had to go to different places for offense. Sophomore Jenny Mann and junior Janie Gregory saw significant action in Sunday's 2-0 loss to Michigan but were unable to provide much help. Sunday's shutout was the second straight game that IU was unable to score. \nIf most of the sidelined Hoosiers aren't able to return in time for this weekend's games, Kelley said he would change some things in order to accommodate for the loss of much of his speed and scoring threats.\n"I'm not sure what (we would change)," Kelley said, "(but if we don't get anyone back), we would change something"