A clean bill of health hasn’t done much to quell Jill
Oakes’ nerves as she prepares to return to the soccer field
for the first time in 10 months.
Although she participated in full contact drills in practice
last week for the first time since tearing the posterior cruciate
ligament in her left knee last November, the UCLA midfielder is
still unsure about whether she will play at all this season.
“I’m getting really anxious, but I’m trying
not to rush it,” said Oakes, who traveled with the team to
North Carolina Wednesday. “I definitely want to come back by
the start of Pac-10 season in October, but redshirting is still a
possibility.”
Oakes called it a “50-50 chance” she might sit out
the season, but the coaching staff is more optimistic.
Coach Jillian Ellis indicated that she might see limited action
by the end of the month.
“Her comeback is a day-to-day process,” Ellis said.
“For her to play in full competition, she has to be
physically able, and psychologically she must feel confident that
her knee will hold up. Hopefully she’ll be close to full
strength by the start of the Pac-10 season.”
An All-Pac-10 performer last year as a freshman, Oakes tallied
three goals and four assists before her season ended abruptly
against USC in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
In the game’s 22nd minute, Oakes went up for a 50-50 ball
in the Trojans’ half of the field when she was undercut by a
USC defender.
She fell to the ground and immediately grabbed her left
knee.
“I was jarred backwards, and I felt my knee do something
funky,” Oakes said. “It was a feeling I’d never
experienced before.”
And undoubtedly one she hopes never to experience again.
Oakes underwent surgery soon after sustaining the injury, and
her leg was placed in a full cast for the next two weeks. After
removing the cast, she had another surgery to remove scar tissue
that had built up around the joint.
Almost a full year later, Oakes is practicing once again, but
she admits to being nowhere near full strength.
Doctors have cautioned her not to do the heavy lifting required
to strengthen her hamstring muscles, so she has been unable to
fully rehabilitate ““ a situation which could leave her more
injury-prone, should she choose to return this season.
“Fitness is such a huge component of soccer, and
she’s nowhere close to match-fit right now,” Ellis
said. “We want to ease her back into the lineup and build her
confidence back up.”
Oakes said she felt no pain after her first day of participating
in practice Tuesday, but heading into the weekend’s matches
against North Carolina and Duke, she had yet to make a decision
about her status for the remainder of the season.
Although freshmen Caitlin Ursini and Stephanie Kron have done an
admirable job filling in for Oakes thus far, Ellis hopes to have
the standout sophomore back at full strength as soon as
possible.
“Having her back would be a huge bonus for us,”
Ellis said. “We’ll take anything we can get from
her.”
This story went to print before Friday’s match against
North Carolina. For coverage of this match, please go to dailybruin.ucla.edu.