For soccer player, no broken record
Senior defender Melissa Baggaley sat on the bench near the end of Friday’s game against Long Beach and watched her team win – and lose – with her shoulder wrapped and iced.
The Utah State soccer team beat Long Beach 2-1 in overtime, but lost its top defender.
After starting her record-tying 70th consecutive game Friday, she was poised to break the record Sunday, in addition to tying the school’s record for most games played, but in the waning minutes of the second half, Baggaley was taken down by a Long Beach opponent and dislocated her shoulder.
“I was running and she was pulling on my arm and my shirt,” Baggaley said. “I slid for the ball and she just pulled it back and popped my shoulder out.”
Sunday, she sat in warm-ups and cheered for her teammates.
“I’m going to try to be OK,” Baggaley said. “I’ll be back. That’ll be my goal.”
No time frame has been established for her return, but teammates said her presence on the field will be missed.
“She’s going to be out for a little while,” head coach Heather Cairns said.
“[I was] pretty nervous going into it,” teammate Chanel Blaquiere. “She’s a big part of our defense.”
In the interim, senior Michelle Haws and freshman Katie Keller will take up most of Baggaley’s minutes on defense.
“Katie, she’s a freshman, but she doesn’t play like one,” Cairns said. “She’s a real intellectual player. She knows what the different roles are and her versatility is key for us.”
-acf@cc.usu.edu