A 'ridiculous' recovery: Soccer player back on field with scholarship 8 months after ACL injury

Eric Webb hoped he could get star forward Chloe Carns back for the 2019 postseason. 

Carns hoped she'd be able to find a college willing to take a chance on her. 

About nine months later, those concerns have more than been relieved. 

Now a senior on the Central York girls' soccer team, Carns had just finished a standout junior season when she tore her ACL at her first club tournament of the year last November in Florida. An offseason that was supposed to be focused on the college recruitment process suddenly became about rehab. Her senior season was in doubt. 

But when the Panthers took the field for the first time at the end of August, Carns was already back on the field, contributing off the bench. Last Thursday, she made her first start of the season in a 7-0 win over South Western. 

She's already verbally committed to Division II Bloomsburg, where she has a partial scholarship. 

"I feel a lot better than I thought I would," Carns said after the South Western game. "It's hard getting back and my muscles are tired. 

"But I thought I'd be missing a lot more of the season. This is much better than I thought."

Her head coach doesn't mince words when asked about Carn's quick recovery. 

"It's pretty ridiculous to be honest with you that it's been this quick," Webb said. "She worked like crazy and she's doing an unbelievable job with the training staff here. They just rave about how hard she works."

Carns is still working to get back to full strength physically. She hasn't completely regained the explosiveness she had last season, and needs rest time during games. 

Still, she's much further along than anticipated.

Fighting adversity with friendship

The injury initially seemed like a minor setback. 

When Carns went down during a club game in Orlando, the trainer initially thought she had just sprained her ACL. Though disappointed at not being able to showcase her skills for the college coaches in attendance, Carns made it her goal to prove herself at another upcoming tournament. 

A few weeks later, an MRI showed she wouldn't be playing for a while. 

"I was really upset mentally," Carns said. "No (coaches) really got to see me play. It was really hard because I thought I could play in our next tournament."

She didn't have to go far to find a shoulder to cry on. 

Carns and Maddi Davis are such stereotypical best friends it almost seems like they're making it up. They live a few houses down from each other. They're both dominant soccer players, with Carns on offense and Davis on defense. Not to mention they wear similar numbers (Carns is No. 22; Davis is No. 24). 

Davis was on the field in Florida when Carns first got injured. And she was one of the first to find out the extent of the injury. 

"We were in school when she texted me so found her in the hallway and gave her a hug," Davis said. "I was a mess because her love for soccer is just as strong as mine. To see her have to go through something with such a long recovery and right when the recruiting process started was so hard for me. If it was me I don't know what I would do."

"She cried with me when I first found out," Carns added. 

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Carns had surgery about a month after her injury, and started physical therapy three days after. As she went through the grueling process, Davis was there for both physical and mental encouragement. 

Once Carns was cleared to start running again, Davis would start sending her texts. "Let's go jogging." And when Carns started to get back to soccer activities, Davis would make time to kick the ball with her in their backyards. 

After all, Carns was the one who convinced Davis to start playing soccer in the fifth grade. Helping her get back on the field was the least Davis could do.

All of the support from her friend certainly helped. By the summer, Carns was able to go on long runs with the Central York team. She continued to exceed expectations and was doing soccer workouts in the preseason.

"I just tried to help her mentally," Davis said. "Reminding her how hard she worked at every practice, every time she went to rehab and physical therapy. Just so she could get back. And I'm happy she's back."

Getting 'a steal' in recruiting

The two friends' soccer partnership won't end after this season. 

Both will play collegiately for Bloomsburg, which has been one of the country's top Division II programs in recent years. The Huskies reached the Elite Eight last season and are currently ranked No. 5 in the country in Division II. 

For Davis, the recruitment process was fairly typical. While the reigning YAIAA Division I co-Player of the Year said she initially wasn't getting as much attention from colleges as she hoped, she met Bloomsburg coaches after a club tournament and verbally committed in April after a visit. 

Obviously, things were trickier for Carns, who wasn't able to play in front of the Huskies (or any coaches) throughout the club season due to her injury. 

Both Davis and Webb — who has a good relationship with Bloomsburg coach Matt Haney — made passionate pitches about the forward's character and ability. 

Ultimately, Carns earned the last spot in the Huskies' recruiting class and verbally committed over the summer. 

"I had about an hour and a half conversation with (Haney). He asked if he was getting a steal if (Carns) came here, and I said, 'Yes,'" said Webb. "She has so much potential, so much upside. It wouldn't have surprised me if she had been recruited by the local Division I schools if she hadn't hurt her ACL. He's getting two great kids and students. They're gems."

Added Carns: "It was hard to watch (my teammates) go to regionals and nationals and get recruited when I couldn't be there to play, but I was really happy for them. When Bloomsburg offered me a spot, I was super excited because it was my first offer and nobody could see me play." 

Though excited to continue their friendship and soccer relationship in college, Carns and Davis aren't looking past their final season at Central York. The Panthers are currently 6-0-1 and ranked first in District 3 Class 4A. They have a big game Tuesday against Division I rival Dallastown (5-1). 

Central York has won the last three YAIAA girls' soccer titles, and Carns and Davis would like to make it four in a row. They hope to make a run in districts after losing in the first round last season. 

Regardless, being able to play together as seniors — something that seemed up in the air less than a year ago — has already made this a season to remember. 

"It's going to be great going to college with her, but we have to focus on the high school season right now," Davis said. "We're playing awesome but we can't settle for what we have. Our team has been building for this season. Knowing we have so much potential is awesome because we know we're going out with a bang."