Becca Wann began her senior season with great anticipation, but her last year of intercollegiate soccer at the University of Richmond lasted little over one game.
The Richmond Spiders suffered a huge loss this month when one of their best goal scorers has had her soccer career ended as a result of a concussion.
Wann, a forward from Chesterfield, Va., suffered a concussion in the Spiders’ second game when she fell to the ground after challenging a rival player for the ball. According to Wann, this was her fifth concussion and the fourth that she had suffered while playing soccer.
After this last concussion, the Spiders put her out for the season. On the advice of doctors, her soccer is over.
This is a big blow to the Spiders. Wann was one of their most valuable
players, and the offensive leader on the team. A se[show_disconnected][show_to accesslevel=’Subscriber’]nior, she ranks second in all-time goals with 34 and fourth in points with 55.
She has received numerous awards. She won a gold medal while playing for the U.S. National Team in the FIFA Under-20 Women’s World Cup last year. Wann is a NSCAA Division I All-American and was an All-Conference selection every year of her career.
She was the first Spider to be named Atlantic-10 Conference Rookie of the year and the A-10 Offensive Player of the Year. She was named to the prestigious Hermann Watch List as a junior and has led Richmond in goals and points every season.
This loss is especially bad as the Spiders have already lost two other high scoring players to injuries. According to Coach Peter Albright, Wann’s loss is bigger than the points or her awards.
“She was the emotional center of the team,” he said. “She motivated everyone on the team to play better and she will definitely be missed.”
Even so, Coach Albright felt that taking Wann out for the season was the right thing to do. As a coach, he felt that he had the responsibility to put her health first and that he would not have made any other decision.
“We know the effects of these concussions accumulate,” Albright said. “The effects of the last one seemed to last a bit longer than the others. We decided to pull her because we have to put the health of our players first.”
Wann understands the decision, however it affected her deeply. She felt crushed. Soccer had been a big part of her life.
“When the doctors first told me that I could not play soccer anymore, I was in shock,” she said. “Soccer had been part of my life since middle school. When I was told I couldn’t play it anymore I went out to my car and just sat there crying for almost two straight hours.”
In spite of this loss, the coach and the team will not give up. The Spiders have faced injuries before and Albright believes that the team will pull through.
“We’ve had injuries,” Albright said. “Women’s soccer has the most injuries of any sport and while these injuries are hard on everyone, you just have to keep moving with the players you have. This is the reality of Division I soccer.”
Wann has not given up either. She is still committed to playing sports.
Doctors cleared her to play basketball this winter as there is a much lower risk of concussions in that sport. Wann, a sometimes starter, has played in 84 basketball games for the Spiders over her first three collegiate seasons.
She was the team’s leading rebounder as a junior.
She is also still committed to her soccer teammates even though she is not able to join them on the field.
“I will still come out to support my team,” Wann said. “Even though I can’t play in games anymore, I’ll go to practices. I’ll go to games and offer whatever help I can from the sidelines.”
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