The soccer player cautiously gets up from her seated position during practice. As best as she can, she pushes herself off the ground while resting her weight on just her left foot.
Kodi Lavrusky releases an audible groan as she completes the maneuver. The groan is one that seems to be exhibiting an inconvenience rather than a physical discomfort.
“I actually have no pain,” she said. “I keep telling all the athletic trainers I don’t even need the boot and the crutches.”
But the junior forward’s right foot remains wrapped in a cumbersome black walking boot. Her movements still rely on the crutches that support her weight with every left-footed step. It’s not something she requested – the athletic trainers want Lavrusky to take every precaution while her broken foot heals.
The injury happened Oct. 3, the day UCLA was slated to face Utah. It wasn’t a move out of the ordinary – the forward tried cushioning a hard-and-fast soccer ball coming at her during warm-ups. Lavrusky recalls locking her right ankle, and the next thing she knew, the force of the ball cracked a bone in her foot.
Since the accident, she still shows up to every game and practice session, even though she’s only able to watch from the sidelines.
“It’s really important, because I’m still part of the team,” Lavrusky said. “Any chance I get, I’m always out there.”
There isn’t a firm time frame on when Lavrusky will be ready to run across a soccer pitch again, with the player receiving varying prognoses from one medical professional to another.
“One doctor said a couple weeks, another said four to six. I’m actually meeting with another doctor (Tuesday) just to double-check,” Lavrusky said.
Meanwhile, Lavrusky has been forced to tread an uneventful road to recovery.
“I’m not allowed to do anything,” Lavrusky said. “That’s really it. I just can’t do anything. I’m going to be doing cardio and stuff just to continue to work out and not be on (the foot).”
It’s almost like sitting on a chair, waiting for your name to be called.
But when her name finally does get called out by the stadium announcers, it’ll be an opportunity for coach Amanda Cromwell to once again feature the “tactically aware” forward who is known for “(reading) the game so well,” having already missed out on that opportunity in the past four games.
“There were times during the Stanford game when I said, ‘It’d be nice to throw Kodi in there right now,’” Cromwell said. “Hopefully, we get her back soon – at least for the postseason, I’m hoping.”
Lavrusky’s tactical and physical abilities have allowed her to become a proven goal-scorer in crucial situations, accruing a three-goal tally during the Bruins’ national championship run last year.
But one goal stands out the most: Lavrusky’s championship-winning golden goal, its memory etched in various media – photos, reruns on the Pac-12 Networks and even the light show projected on Royce Hall for UCLA’s Centennial Campaign.
“She’s such a good goal-scorer and is always in the right place at the right time,” said senior defender Abby Dahlkemper.
If last year’s postseason performance is anything to go by, Lavrusky’s return could be crucial for the upcoming postseason push.
And when Lavrusky’s foot fully heals and she gets to lace up her cleats once again, she’ll get another chance to be at the right place at the right time.