Senior Megan Hardy said she was running down the field at the PepsiCo Showdown soccer tournament in April when she suddenly heard a pop in her leg.

“It all happened really fast,” said Hardy. “I tried to do a 180-degree turn, so my foot planted and my cleat got stuck in the turf, and then when I tried to go and turn, my foot kind of stayed facing forward and my body went the other way, so then my knee twisted and it snapped.”

Megan Hardy’s father, John Hardy, said the doctor knew right away from the limited range of motion in her leg that she had torn her anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) even before an MRI was performed.

“ACL injuries can be found in nearly all sports and are seen seven times more frequently in competition than in practice,” Scott Cordes, Assistant Professor of orthopedic surgery at Northwestern University, said.

According to Cordes, female athletes who play basketball and soccer are at a higher risk for ACL injuries than both males and those involved in different sports. This is due to differences in anatomy, including narrower space for the ACL to function, differences in knee alignment, ligament flexibility and muscle strength.

“I’ve grown up being warned about [ACL injuries], but I just never thought it would happen to me,” said Megan Hardy. “When it happened to me, it just took a really long time to accept. That was the hardest part: [accepting] it for what it [was] and [trying] to make the most out of it.”

John Hardy said he believes Megan Hardy’s injury was most likely unpreventable. However, there are a number of ways athletes can minimize the risk.

“Prevention measures can be taken through warm-ups, stretching and sports-specific agility training to improve strength and coordination,” Cordes said.

According to Craig Loch, girls varsity soccer Head Coach, Glenbrook North has implemented FIFA 11+, a European program designed specifically for soccer players to prevent lower body injuries. Studies have shown that when players consistently complete FIFA 11+ through sets of warm-up exercises about 20 minutes before games and before practices, the amount of injuries in both males and females is significantly reduced.

“This is my fourth year coaching, and I’ve only had one girl, [Megan Hardy], tear her ACL in season with me,” Loch said.

Since undergoing surgery in May for her initial tear, Megan Hardy has been recovering through physical therapy.

“I remember at first [the trainers] were telling me to do cutting motions, like side-to-side,” said Megan Hardy. “Especially because that’s how I tore it, I was really nervous because [I] just didn’t trust [my] knee anymore. But they kind of teach you mentally just to get past that and…trust your body again, because it’s just scary afterwards.”

John Hardy said although the process has been difficult, Megan Hardy’s injury has made her more determined to recover for the 2015 season.

“After all my setbacks, I kind of accepted [my injury] more and thought ‘I want to be back and I want to be strong when I get back,’” said Megan Hardy. “So now…I’m not going to be back in November. Maybe not even back in December. But when I get back in January, I’m going to be back and I’m going to be stronger.”