Around this time last year, Tinley Park lost two of its key players for the postseason when Kit Gormley and Taylor Perkins both suffered torn ACL injuries just a couple games apart.
But Gormley, a junior midfielder, and Perkins, a junior defender, are back — and hungry for a big playoff run.
“It was really hard, especially mentally, not getting to play in the playoffs,” Perkins said. “You obviously want to be a part of the team. It’s something you work for. To not be able to help your team is very discouraging.
“But it’s just motivation for this year. You have to take that pain from last year and use it to inspire you moving forward this year.”
Gormley, who emerged as a major scoring threat as a freshman for the Titans, was having a huge sophomore season with 16 goals and 13 assists before the injury.
Watching the playoffs from the bench was tough, especially when Tinley Park lost a Class 2A regional championship game to district rival Oak Forest.
“You could definitely tell by watching me on the sideline that I was dying to be on the field,” Gormley said. “I was jumping up and down. I think I was a little too rambunctious.
“We weren’t supposed to be moving around with our injuries, but I was just trying to be a part of it any way I could, trying to talk to the girls and motivate them.”
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The duo has returned to make a big impact this season for the Titans (10-5-2), and Tinley Park coach Kelsey Neylon is thrilled to have them back.
“Taylor is a big key for us on defense and Kit is just one of a kind,” Neylon said. “Mentally and physically, she’s a beast. She kind of drives our team with her want and will to win and do anything that it takes.”
Gormley has eight goals and six assists this season while taking on more of a defensive role at times. Perkins has been her typical solid force on the back line.
Perkins, who recently missed some time with a concussion, is thrilled to be back on the field after the ACL rehab.
“It was the hardest thing I’ve ever done, undeniably,” she said. “The physical part was hard but the mental part, I don’t think people give enough credit to that.
“I’ve played this sport for as long as I can remember and to not be able to do something you love is really hard.”
Gormley feels she has something to prove this postseason. The Titans are seeded second in the Class 2A Kankakee Sectional.
“I feel like I’ve come back pretty strong,” Gormley said. “I would have liked to have come back stronger.
“It’s the vengeance. Knowing my season ended short and I could have done so much more, there’s just that want to do better and push past the boundaries and show that after the injury, I can still be who I was before.”
History made: Thornwood co-op (15-3-1, 11-1) capped its best regular season by winning the Southland Conference for the first league championship in program history.
“For the program, it means a ton,” Thornwood coach David Gonzalez said. “The history of the program, it’s been pretty rough. But we’ve had a good turnaround the last three years with a great group of girls.
“Seniors like Jazmin Rodriguez, Carmen Valadez and Abigail Flores, they’ve all created a pretty awesome atmosphere where all the girls like to be around each other. When you build a culture like that, it makes everything easier and things tend to fall in place.”
Perfect trio: Lemont (14-5-1, 11-0) in the South Suburban Blue, Lincoln-Way Central (16-1-2, 4-0) in the SouthWest Suburban Red and Lockport (19-2-1, 4-0) in the SouthWest Suburban Blue rolled to their respective conference championships without a loss.
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Steve Millar is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.