Marisa Fischetti had spent the last nine months waiting to prove to herself and everyone else that her injury was finally behind her.

On Sept. 23, 2017, Fischetti netted the equalizer in the 53rd minute against Long Island SC. It was her first goal as a member of the U.S. Development Academy’s FC Fury NY – the culmination of a grueling return to the field following a left ACL injury in the fall of 2016. One year later, in 2018, Fischetti would have to do it all over again, this time with her right knee.

Now a redshirt freshman forward for Syracuse (2-4-1), Fischetti has overcome an ACL tear in both of her knees. Physical limitations and internal doubts have made this comeback more difficult than the first, but Fischetti now finds herself second on the team in shots on goal and starting five matches.

“It was definitely hard,” Fischetti said, “I was finally feeling 100% after my first ACL when I came here before preseason last year.”

Fischetti first tore her right ACL late in her junior season at Massapequa (New York) High School. The injury came right before the state playoffs, in which the Chiefs failed to capture their fourth-straight state title.

Fischetti’s rehab consisted of three days a week at physical therapy sessions. She started on an anti-gravity treadmill to alleviate the impact on her knee and then worked her way to a regular treadmill. Her physical therapist emphasized plyometrics and cardio instead of weight training. Six months after the surgery, Fischetti’s surgeon was disappointed in the lack of strength in her knee, Fischetti said.

Once she was cleared to play, she opted to play for FC Fury. Since the Fury were an U.S. Development Academy club – which disallows playing for any other team while on the roster – she was forced to forgo her senior year at Massapequa. Massapequa went 53-4-5 in her three years there.

As a true freshman at SU, Fischetti started in the Orange’s first preseason match against Rutgers. She felt no limitations in the first half, but 20 seconds into the second half, an awkward cut in the turf sent an all-too-familiar pain cutting through her leg.

“Just the way I started freshman year of college was really difficult for me,” Fischetti said, “I was really down first semester last year.”

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With her season over before it started, Fischetti missed the first two weeks of school. When she returned, she completely committed to rehab and school, she said.

This time, the rehab went from three days to five or six. The anti-gravity treadmill became a regular treadmill just three months after surgery. This time around, she was doing 225-pound squats with bands on her legs and 400-yard lunges with weighted vests.

For her rehab, Fischetti chose Troy Gerlt, the men’s lacrosse team’s trainer, over Meagan Bevins, the women’s soccer teams’ own trainer. Gerlt is known for rehabbing knee injuries, Fischetti said, and she hoped he could help her come out stronger. She worked with Gerlt all fall and spring, and her diligence didn’t go unnoticed by teammates.

“She never took a day off,” senior forward Sydney Brackett said. “She was very calculated in what she was doing and why she was doing it … she always showed up with a smile on her face.”

Last February, a new wave of self-doubt in her abilities came flooding back. The Orange had hired Nicky Adams to be their new head coach, and a whole new staff followed. The coach that’d recruited her — Phil Wheddon — was gone, and Fischetti had no college stats to prove she could still play at a high level.

Adams sensed a lack of self-confidence, not just in Fischetti but in the team as a whole following a 3-15 campaign. Fischetti even admitted her worries to her new manager, saying she was “a little intimidated, scared, afraid that I can’t prove myself.” Having suffered a season-ending injury herself in 2000 at Texas A&M, Adams could relate.

“I think any time you come back from an injury there’s self-doubt,” Adams said, “‘How hard can I go? Will I be the same player? Can I improve?’ And it’s just about putting them in situations where they gain confidence.”

Fischetti continued to work through the summer, getting her speed and agility back as close to they were before her injuries. She also worked with a soccer trainer to retune technical skills like shooting and passing.

The forward entered the 2019 season donning a knee brace, and has started every match but the season-opener at the top of Nicky Adams’ 4-3-3 base formation. As injuries to teammates piled up, she went from a fixture in the starting lineup to a premier offensive threat, recording five shots on goal in six matches. Yet she said she lacked the self-confidence she once had. Something was still off.

So Fischetti asked Bevins if she could take off her knee brace: a light, flexible wrap holding years of pain, doubt and hard work. The trainer agreed.

“I felt a lot more confidence, I felt stronger,” Fischetti said, “When I go into a tackle I don’t even think about it anymore because that’s how I get hurt so I try not to focus on it.”

Fischetti has played the last two matches without a knee brace. She recorded a career-high three shots on goal in a 0-0 draw with Fordham on Sept. 15, followed by texts and calls from a number of teammates who’ve noticed her looking “faster and more confident.”

“We’re really proud of her,” Brackett said. “We’re proud of her comeback and we can’t wait to see what she does in ACCs.”

Published on September 19, 2019 at 12:11 am

Contact Tim: tnolan@syr.edu