Candler enjoying injury-free season

An Aug. 26 game against Missouri State was the turning point for junior forward Rebecca Candler.

She scored two goals in the match after going scoreless for her entire sophomore year and the majority of her freshman season.

“I felt like I broke the curse because I hadn’t scored since my first game freshman year, which has been extremely frustrating for these past two or three years,” she said.

In a sense, it symbolized a fresh start.

Candler injured her hip the summer before her freshman season, but she didn’t know exactly what was wrong. She was not allowed to participate in preseason training, and although she did play throughout the season despite the injury, the nagging pain and lack of a diagnosis became difficult to ignore.

“It was extremely hard just because you want answers,” Candler said. “It’s hard when no one can tell you what’s wrong, and no one can really figure it out. It was a frustrating year.”

In January 2011, assistant athletic trainer Wendy Poppy brought Candler to Philadelphia to see a specialist. A sports hernia was the official verdict, and her first surgery took place soon after.

From there, she had to go through rehabilitation to earn her way back to health.
The pain continued, though, and Candler and Poppy returned to Philadelphia for a second surgery in May of the same year.    

Again, she took the time for rehabilitation.

She then entered her sophomore season not having played soccer or been able to train without struggling from her ailment.

“Sophomore year was difficult just because the first time I had really run without pain in over a year was coming into preseason,” Candler said. “I hadn’t played soccer in over a year, and it was just getting back into the groove.“

Getting through these seasons was frustrating, Candler said, but she drew inspiration from fellow injured teammates who helped her through each day.

She said she also realized that, even from the bench, she knew she was involved in the team as a whole.

“Some days it was really hard,” she said. “You just feel like not giving up, but is it really worth all this trouble? Just sitting on the sidelines and watching the team play, you know that you’re in it for something bigger than yourself.”

Now, for the first time in her collegiate career, Candler is completely healthy and in top physical condition. She arrived in Bloomington early to get in shape for training, taking full advantage of her new-found ability to do so.

Since then, Candler has contributed to the team’s success, registering seven assists and four goals thus far in the season.

She said she now is fully able to understand the importance each player has on the team.

“It’s easier to have fun when you can contribute and help your team,” she said. “But in reality, everybody has a role no matter where you are, whether you’re on the bench or on the field.”

IU Coach Mick Lyon said it was difficult to watch Candler struggle through her first two seasons knowing the potential she had as a player, but he continued to put her in matches in hopes that it would benefit her down the road.

“Unfortunately for her, her development the first couple of years has been just getting her healthy,” Lyon said. “It’s been a tough ordeal for her, one that she’s been diligent trying to resolve. She’s now getting the rewards of that hard work.”

Candler’s teammates have noticed a change in her, as well.

Junior midfielder Lisa Nouanesengsy said she’s noted improvement in Candler’s performance and recognizes the hard work she puts in.

“Coming in freshman year, we’re not so confident, but as the years have gone by, we’ve gotten used to how to play at the college level,” Nouanesengsy said. “She’s shown that she can compete against everyone, and her confidence has just been so much better.”

Lyon said his main focus was shaping Candler into the best she could be across all platforms, but she deserves the credit for all she’s accomplished and the physical fitness she’s now attained.

“I just offered help to her and guidance, and tried to instruct her in the things that would make her a better soccer player,” Lyon said. “She brought all the effort and determination. She provided all of that. The results are all hers.”

When it comes down to it, Candler said she owes it all to Poppy.

“If it wasn’t for her, I wouldn’t be playing soccer,” Candler said.