Out with a bang

Knee injury brings end to college soccer career of East Bridgewater native Needham

By Jim Fenton

ENTERPRISE STAFF WRITER

Her final women's soccer season at Saint Joseph's College in Maine was off to a brilliant start this month.

Jessica Needham, of East Bridgewater, scored seven goals with five assists in helping the Monks win their opening five games, and she was twice named the Great Northeast Athletic Conference player of the week.

The 2007 Cardinal Spellman High School graduate climbed the ladder on St. Joseph's all-time lists, setting the record with 11 career game-winning goals, moving into third place with 23 assists, sixth place with 89 points and tied for seventh with 33 goals.

Everything appeared to be unfolding in perfect fashion for Needham to put the capper on a solid career as a forward at the Standish, Maine, school.

Then, less than four minutes into a game against Suffolk University last Wednesday in Boston, the season and career of Needham came to a swift conclusion.

Making a cut while chasing the ball, Needham tore the anterior cruciate ligament and meniscus in her left knee while straining two other ligaments.

The 55th game of her career with the Monks wound up being the last one for Needham.

"Everything in my knee just popped,'' said Needham, who had been ranked sixth nationally in assists per game and seventh in points per game. "It didn't hurt that bad, but I heard everything pop and I knew that was a bad sign.

"I thought I'd be going out with a bang, but not this type of bang.''

It was a tough way to end her soccer playing days, especially after struggling with injuries at Cardinal Spellman.

Needham underwent four surgeries on her left knee in high school because of a bone disease, returning to score 14 goals and 12 assists as a senior for the Cardinals.

There were some minor injuries in college, but Needham had seven goals and five assists as a freshman, eight goals and eight assists as a sophomore and 11 goals and five assists as a junior.

She was named to the All-GNAC second team in 2007 and the third team in 2009 and seemed to be on track to make the first team this fall.

"It's really frustrating, actually,'' said Needham, a nursing major. "I was hurt so much in high school that I figured I paid my dues then and I'd have now to be able to play. I guess it just didn't work out that way.

"It's really frustrating, especially since I was having a really good season before this happened.''

The Monks dropped their first two games following the Needham injury before defeating Mount Ida, 3-1, on Tuesday.

"She had a brilliant career here and was having a fantastic senior season,'' said Saint Joseph's coach Michael Bolanz. "She was saving her best for last.

"I was able to see her play at Cardinal Spellman and she gave it 100 percent every time she stepped on the field. She was always that person who gave it her all, and she was like that here.

"She just kept progressing in four years, but I didn't expect her to be as dominant as she was this year. Every offseason, she came back fit and with more strength. To have this happen is just devastating for her. It's been hard on the team. The players looked up to her.''

In the months leading up to her final season, Needham was training with her boyfriend, who is a Marine, along with another Marine, leading her to report to training camp in top shape.

"They had me do a lot of the lifting that they did,'' Needhamsaid. "I was in the gym a lot just doing things they told me were good for my sport and it really did pay off – until now.

"I felt like my shooting was the best it's ever been. My fitness was really good. Everything was really going well.''

Nevertheless, Needham will have fond memories of her playing days at Saint Joseph's, stepping in as a freshman and making an all-conference, rebounding from an injury as a sophomore and getting 24 points, and notching a career-best 11 goals last season.

Now she will be a spectator for the final month of her final season, hoping the Monks can overcome her absence.

She will undergo surgery just before Thanksgiving and will be ready to do a nursing internship at Children's Hospital in Boston in January.

"It's obviously sad for it to end like this,'' said Needham, who wants to be a pediatric nurse. "I think I'm still trying to figure out what I'm supposed to learn from this.

"I've had my whole life to play soccer. This is my last year, so that kind of stinks, but I guess I'm just trying to transition a little bit faster to concentrate on my career now.''