By Liam Quirin
Freshman Josh DiPasquale, a key player in Coach Krzyzanowicz’s starting lineup, injured his ankle during their 1-0 win against Salisbury on October 7, 2017. During a 50-50 attempt to save the ball from going out of bounds, DiPasquale ended up getting tangled up in an awkward tackle.
After playing a total of 14 games of throughout the 2017-18 season, and starting in each of the 14, DiPasquale ended up missing the Lions’ last six of the season.
As a defender, there is a large level of responsibility and pressure placed on a player’s shoulders. Being the last players between the goalie and the opposing team, defenders must be agile and mindful of when to either step to the ball, or to contain and wait for the perfect opportunity to strip the ball from the attacker. This is especially difficult as a freshman who is new to the competition and playing style of college soccer. Players are bigger, faster, stronger. Josh, however, fit right into the position given his relentless efforts and give-it-all mentality as he came away with his three assists, one shot, and countless tackles. Again, as a defender. Thus, proving to be an important player amongst the other 10 on the field.
The men’s team ended up finishing 11-9 (4-5 in their conference) and 6th overall in the Capital Athletic Conference. Overall, a decent season. Though, perhaps things would have been better had there not been as many games missed by important players such as DiPasquale.
Despite having just badly sprained his ankle, DiPasquale has been out longer than projected. “It happened early October and the thought I would only be out for a few weeks, but it’s been 3 months now and I’m still not back.” As he works closely with the school’s trainers, he remains positive his recovery and the approach to preseason.
Having spoken to DiPasquale, the concern of balancing school with the injury was brought up. Perhaps walking around campus with crutches hinders his ability to get around easily, or his path to recovery interrupts studying for classes.
“It hasn’t been too difficult,” says DiPasquale. “When we were still in season I would be going to physical therapy during practice, and then I would go out to practice after I was done. When the season ended I would just fit it in between my classes. And since I was already used to having practice every day, it was easy to keep up with schoolwork because I basically had the same amount of time to do my schoolwork.”
One thing that has helped in his recovery is the support he gets not only from teammates, but also the other athletes who are also trying their best to come back from injury. “There were a few other people that had injuries on both the guy’s and girl’s teams, and having those people there made it more enjoyable.”
DiPasquale continues to be optimistic about his return to the team. He is aware of his talent and refuses to let his injury interrupt him from representing his team and wearing that number 15 jersey. “If I work hard enough, I know I can get back to that starting position,” he insists.
As the rest of the team prepares for spring ball in the upcoming months, Josh is faithful that he will be ready to compete at the level he was at before his injury. As for the fans, we anxiously await not only his return, but the return of another season of Nittany Lion fútbol.
