Going into the 2018 Bridgeport High School soccer season, senior outside back Jordan Cole aspired to have her best season yet.

 

“I worked with my travel coaches during the off-season to improve my skills, so I could have more confidence taking people on during games,” said the four-year member of Tribe soccer. “I planned on playing my role and helping my team anyway possible.”

 

Things changed Sept. 4 when – during the Lady Indians’ 3-0 shutout over Robert C. Byrd – Cole tore her ACL, an injury which will likely bring her senior year on the field to an abrupt halt. But she sure proved herself, Coach John Reese said.

 

“Jordan just played a fantastic game. She was making up plays. She saved us twice,” he said. “When we made a mistake on the ball, she came across and she was there to clean it up.”

 

Reese said, in fact, not only was Cole instrumental in the win, but she played her best game of the season.

 

“Probably the first three games of the season, I was telling her things she could do better. I knew she wanted to play at Alderson-Broaddus next year. The coach wants her, so I tried to be a little hard on her at practice,” Reese said.

 

The coach even asked Cole if he was being too hard on her. Looking back, Cole says no.

 

“Coach has been hard on me this season, but I don’t take it the way others have,” she said. “If he sees potential in me and only wants to make me the best player I can be, I take it and let it motivate me to correct my mistakes. I like it when people are hard on me because it makes me angry and I want to prove them wrong.”

 

As the Sept. 4 game came to a close, Cole knew she had an ACL injury. As the next couple of days unfolded, she learned just how bad that injury was.

 

She said her heart sank when she received the phone call that she had an ACL rupture, first degree, sprain of her MCL and meniscus and bone bruising, requiring surgery, followed up by a six-month recovery.

 

“I was completely devastated and thought my soccer career was over,” she said.

 

Cole’s surgery will take place Thanksgiving break. In the meantime, she works to straighten and bend her knee and regain strength in her quad muscle.

“I go to physical therapy three times a week and I’m already showing good progress,” she said.

 

She’s not only making physical progress, but is also taking major steps with regard to her outlook.

 

“I am still upset that I cannot finish my high school season with my teammates, but a college coach is still showing interest in me, considering my injuries,” she said. “Instead of feeling down, I am choosing to look at the positives and plan on coming back stronger than I have before. My soccer career is not over and I plan on making the most of my second chance.”

 

Cole is hopeful that the Lady Indians will go far this season, advancing even further than they have in the past.

 

“I think we’ll go far in the state tournament if the team connects their passes well and don’t panic when we play tough teams,” she said. “We are a good team. We have proven we can compete with the best teams. We beat the reigning Class AA state champions 3-0. If we don’t doubt ourselves and just play the game, we can be the state champions this year. I am that confident in my team and I know we can do it.”

 

She may not be able to contribute physically, but Cole – who remains a team captain and vowels to take responsibilities seriously - says he will cheer on her team every step of the way.

 

“I try to create a positive environment for my team. I’ve been around bad leadership and know it affects the way we play on the field. With everyone getting along, we play much better together and we have won more games because of the trust we have in each other.”