Speed bump on road to Rio
Olympic soccer goalkeeper Sabrina D’Angelo’s wrist ‘ready to go’ following injury two months ago
Sabrina D’Angelo’s dream of representing Canada in the Olympics wasn’t completely dashed when she injured her wrist playing professional soccer in the U.S.
A fractured left scaphoid, while a formidable speed bump on the road to the 2016 Summer Games in Rio de Janiero, wasn’t insurmountable. With six to eight weeks to recuperate and regain full range in the wrist, the injury did not turn into a roadblock that would put the upand-coming goalkeer’s hopes on hold for at least four more years.
D’Angelo suffered the injury in warmup while her West New York Flash were preparing to host the New Jersey Sky Blue in a regular season game May 21 in Rochester.
“It was a cutback from the end line and one of our forwards blasted the ball from the top of the six, and my hand got stuck close to my body,” the 23-year-old Welland native recalled.
She told the trainer to tape her wrist for the game, but they both knew that wouldn’t be enough. She would need surgery.
“The way it hit, I knew it wasn’t good because I had broke my scaphoid in the opposite wrist in university,” said the Notre Dame College School graduate, who attended the University of South Carolina on a four-year athletic scholarship.
She underwent surgery June 3 and reported to the Canadian national women’s soccer team camp July 1 in Vancouver, where she immediately met with the team’s medical staff.
First on her recovery regimen were range-of-motion and light strength exercises.
“I also got to start catching a bouncy ball, which was the same size as a soccer ball,” D’Angelo said. “My splint was still on, but it was just a way for me to see the flight of the ball and a small progression back to play.”
She found the regimen “tough and a little discouraging,” after a brace was removed about two weeks ago.
“I was only using the bouncy ball, and when it hit my wrist right, it stung,” the daughter of Gerry and Bonnie D’Angelo of Welland said. “I remember thinking ‘How the heck am I going to do this.’”
A big test came June 19 when she started taking shots from the team’s goalkeeping coach at full velocity.
“I still get some pain, depending on the way the ball hits my wrist. But the pain doesn’t stay, which is important,” she said. “I’m almost fully back to play and feel confident that my wrist is ready to go.”
D’Angelo praised the national team for helping her recover from the surgery.
“The entire staff with the Canadian team has taken amazing care of me and ensured that I progressed properly back to play.”
She hoped to see some action when Canada played France in an exhibition game last weekend, but Stephanie Labbe went the distance in goal.
D’Angelo also remained on the bench at the Olympic qualifying tournament in Houston, but she regards the trip to Texas as an invaluable learning experience and an important step in her development as a goalkeeper.
“You can definitely learn a lot from watching, and I got to watch – and train – with one of the best goalkeepers in the world,” she said of Erin McLeod, Canada’s No. 1 keeper.
The entire staff with the Canadian team has taken amazing care of me and ensured that I progressed properly back to play.” Sabrina D’Angelo
“I learned a lot from watching Erin play and the way she dealt with different situations in those games.”
D’Angelo moved up on the depth chart after McLeod, 33, hurt her knee while playing for her club team in Sweden.
Labbe, 29, who was elevated to the starting role, made her debut with the national team eight years ago. In that time she has played only 28 games for Canada, spending most of her career backing up McLeod and Karina LeBlanc, who has since retired.
Canada won the bronze medal at the 2012 Olympics in London. They were eliminated with a 2-1 loss to Germany in the quarter-final round of the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
They head to Rio ranked 10th in the world and in a particularly tough pool with No. 2 Germany, No. 5 Australia and Zimbabwe at 93rd.
D’Angelo likes Canada’s chances heading into its group stage opener against Australia next Wednesday in Sao Paolo.
“We have an amazing group of women who are all focused on the same goal of not only getting on the podium, but bringing home the gold,” she said.
Canada plays Zimbabwe Aug. 6, also in Sao Paolo, and wraps up pool play versus Germany Aug. 9 in Brasilia.
In all, 12 nations divided into three pools are competing for Olympic medals in women’s soccer.
Eight teams – the top two from each pool, and the next two with the best records – advance to the quarter-finals.
Internationally, D’Angelo won a bronze medal with Canada at the 2008 CONCACAF under-17 women’s championship, played for Canada at the FIFA under-17 women’s world cup in New Zealand, won gold at the 2010 CONCACAF under-17 worlds in Costa Rica and a silver at the 2012 CONCACAF under-20 championships in Panama.
D’Angelo also represented Canada at the under-20 women’s world cup in Japan four years ago and won a silver at the CONCACAF Olympic qualifier in Texas earlier this year.
She graduated from the University of South Carolina with a physical education degree and holding several school goalkeeping records: career minutes played, 7,535; career starts, 81; and shutouts for a senior, 10.
Two years ago, D’Angelo received the President’s Award, the highest honour a student athlete at the SEC school can receive.