Irving Moreno looked forward to leading the Mount Carmel soccer team during his senior season and attracting more attention from the college recruiters who had started to take notice.
Everything changed in April, however, when Moreno suffered a torn ACL and meniscus in his left knee, knocking him out for his entire senior year and putting his future in doubt.
“I was playing with my club team in Phoenix, Arizona,” Moreno said. “It was the last minute of a game and I went knee to knee with a defender. It was horrible.”
After finding out he would need surgery, Moreno knew his senior season was over before it even began. It was a tough pill to swallow.
“It was not good,” Moreno said. “I struggled mentally to get over the fact that I was missing one of my final seasons with my club, and especially that I was missing my senior season with my high school team, the most important season of my career. It was tough for me to get over that.
“I had to look on the positive side, be mentally stronger. I had to deal with it and embrace what I could still do. At Mount Carmel, we embrace the process.”
Moreno, who piled up 25 goals and 32 assists over his career as a three-year varsity player, has stayed a big part of Caravan soccer.
He’s still a team captain, taking on an advisory role and giving his teammates a boost from the sideline.
“I’ve been helping the coaches and players as much as I can,” Moreno said. “Every practice, I’m there. After school, before the games, I’m there. I travel on the bus with the team.
“It makes it feel like I’m still part of the team, even though I’m injured.”
Mount Carmel coach Antonio Godinez knew Moreno had plenty to offer the team, even if he could not play.
“His IQ is one of the best in the group for soccer,” Godinez said. “He’s a really good person and a really good student. From the summer on, I told him he’s going to play an important role as a captain here.
“It’s going to be off the field, but he can support the guys and help them see what sometimes you can’t see on the field.”
Senior defender Evan Solberg said Moreno has turned into an extra coach for the team.
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“He’s probably got the highest IQ on the team,” Solberg said. “He’s out there, he’s instructing the guys and telling them where to go. At practices and games, he’s motivating us every day.
“He’s shouting at us to get better and he’s instructing on what we can do better. He tries to work with guys one-on-one, too.”
While Moreno certainly wishes he were scoring goals for the Caravan (6-1-2), he has found enjoyment in helping others.
“Coach made me realize how important I am off the field, and I appreciate that,” Moreno said. “Now, I’m just trying to help these younger players. I feel like I can still help us get better.”
Meanwhile, the rehab process continues.
“I’ve been learning how to do things that I knew how to do before the surgery,” Moreno said. “I’ve been learning how to walk, how to balance, how to do squats. I’m trying to get more strength back in my left knee and in my quad.
“That’s been the hardest part, trying to get my quad muscles activated. Ever since I got that back, I’ve been able to do more to work on my knee.”
Moreno still has the same goal he had before the injury — to play Division I soccer.
“I’m going to work harder than ever,” he said. “This injury has definitely changed my mentality. I’m going to come back stronger than ever.”
Steve Millar is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.