Kara Lang, a captain of the UCLA women’s soccer team, tore her ACL and will be out for the rest of her senior season according to a UCLA press release and her coach Jillian Ellis.
Lang, a redshirt senior, has been a major contributor to three of the team’s last five consecutive trips to the College Cup. She missed the entire 2006 season with an ACL injury which forced her to redshirt.
“I’m so disappointed and so sad for Kara and also for us as a team,” Ellis said. “But she’s a strong person and we are going to play hard for her.”
Lang suffered the injury closing in defensively on a player in Friday’s win over CSU Northridge. After making a cut, she fell to the ground and had to leave the game.
“(She) just went down in pain,” Ellis said. “Kara has done her knee before so I think immediately she knew, and I was in the stands, and immediately I knew, just because you know when you’ve done it. We sent our trainer down and she went to the hospital that night, and it was confirmed that night.”
The Bruins lose one of their leaders with the injury to the Canadian Olympian. Lang started the first nine contests and had already scored three goals and tallied an assist in the young season. In addition to being a superb ball-striker, Ellis put Lang in the defensive midfield this year. According to Ellis, Lang was thriving.
“I just need to say that I think she was having her best season,” Ellis said. “She was scoring from outside, she was giving us so much defensively, she was doing everything for the team. She was playing out of position but playing extremely well. It is a big loss but she will be there with us on the sidelines. She is still a captain, and she will still contribute to this team.”
Compiled by Matt Stevens, Bruin Sports senior staff.