by TIFFANY WEIMER
GoPSUsports.com
Watching senior defender Ali Krieger hunched over with her hands on her knees, the players and coaches all stop to make sure she??s alright. She keeps playing, but for that split second everyone is a little on edge.
She still sometimes feels the effects of last year??s, season ending spiral fracture in her right fibula, which happened around this time. When the ball hits the plate placed in her leg it makes her whole leg tingle sometimes.
??The only thing that will get me off that field now is if something is broken,?? said the Lion??s captain, Krieger. ??I play through everything because I want to be able to play in NCAAs and be on the field no matter what.??
Though she did not know it at the time, that spiral fracture was the least of her worries. Several months after her surgery, Krieger developed multiple blood clots in her lungs causing her to have mini heart attacks and a week-long visit to the hospital.
??The doctors told me at my age I was very lucky to live,?? said Krieger. ??If I was any older I wouldn??t have survived because of how intense it was and the fact that I was unaware of what was happening.??
Because of her leg injury and the complications that occurred as a result of it, Krieger could not lace up her cleats for nine months. Emotionally, it was not an easy concept to grasp for her.
??The hardest part was sitting there on the sidelines and watching my team and my friends play in a game and I could do absolutely nothing but cheer them on,?? said Krieger. ??In the final four I wanted to go up and take a PK on my crutches.??
When she was finally able to play for the first time in July, a lot of things were different from the last time she stepped on that field.
??I felt so privileged to be back out on the field after being hurt for the previous nine months,?? said Krieger. ??It was priceless to step on that field again and be able to kick a ball?? I didn??t know if I would remember how to do it?? I wanted to be out there for hours?? it was a great feeling especially because I wasn??t hurting.??
As November begins and Big Ten Tournament starts this week, Krieger??s fateful day is right around the corner and the memories of an unfinished season start to resurface.
??I think that most importantly it??s my senior year and you are desperate to win everything,?? said Krieger. ??For me the motivation is there from last year and to move past that day that??s coming up that haunts me?? I wanted it so bad last year and now I want that chance to play in front of that crowd and on that television.??
Luckily for her, she has another opportunity to make her dreams become a reality. Sunday, Penn State will meet Illinois in the Big Ten Tournament Final, with the Lions having a much appreciated home-field advantage. From there, the NCAA Tournament starts and a chance to repeat an appearance at the College Cup is in the palms of their hands.
??I was a part of it (getting to the College Cup last year) and I started it but I couldn??t finish it. And now I want to,?? said Krieger. ??I haven??t stopped thinking about the Final Four since we came home from Texas last year.??