A Star Fights Way Back to Play

By Ian Dardani

Katherine Faria stared with a dejected look on her face from the sidelines as her team fell short to Gettysburg, 13-12, during the fourth game of the season. A week before, she was on the field, jockeying for a groundball against two Salisbury defenders. Faria, one of the most prolific scorers in the Washington and Lee University women’s lacrosse team’s history, scooped up the groundball and made a hard cut, looking to split the defense. But her left foot landed in an awkward position, and she dropped to the ground. Faria instantly knew something was wrong and limped to the sideline.

A few days after the Salisbury game, Faria learned that she had a severely sprained foot with ligament and tendon damage. For most athletes, the injury requires surgery.

Given the recovery time, surgery for Faria, the senior team captain, would mean her lacrosse career was over, a crushing blow to her dream of winning a national championship in her final season.

But a doctor told her she could forgo surgery and commit to extensive daily physical therapy. Even if rehab went well, she was told she’d have to play through a lot of pain. Faria decided to try.

“It won’t be easy or feel great, but I plan on making a return as soon as I can,” she said. “Our end goal has always been to win a national championship. And something important we’ve spoken about this year is having no regrets. We want to be happy with our season no matter where it ends without any what ifs. I didn’t want to get surgery and look back on this year wishing

I hadn’t. So, when I was given the option to try to play through, it was an easy choice for me.”

Since her first year in college, Faria has helped lead W&L to two Old Dominion Athletic Conference championships. In 2019, she set the W&L rookie records for goals and points in a single season while receiving first-team All-ODAC honors and winning ODAC Rookie of the Year.

Faria is a versatile player who uses a combination of speed, power and smarts to attack defenses.

“Katherine is a skilled, strong offensive player with a high lacrosse IQ,” said Tracy Tucker, a volunteer assistant coach. “She reads defenses quickly and works hard to involve her teammates in scoring plays.”

Sophomore attacker Hanna Bishop formed a quick bond with Faria because their playing styles are similar. Their chemistry created a lethal one-two punch on offense for the Generals.

Bishop and Faria were the team’s first and second leading scorers, respectively. Both players finished with 53 total points each on the season.

“It all starts with chemistry off the field,” Faria said. “Hanna is one of my really good friends and that transitions really well to our play on the field and allows us to work cohesively on attack. We know the spots where we both want to get on the field and know where the other one is going to be. But really, this trust is created off the field.”

After Faria got hurt, the team struggled, losing games by one goal to topranked Salisbury and second-ranked Gettysburg. Her absence was felt because Faria has a knack for playing her best against the best competition. In 2019, Faria notched four goals against Salisbury that included the gamewinner in overtime. She also scored four goals against Gettysburg in 2020, leading the Generals to a 12-9 win.

Her past performance against Gettysburg in particular made standing on the sidelines during the game even worse.

Faria trains at the gym as part of her physical therapy regimen. impress her as much, if not more than her physical talent. “Katherine is a natural leader,” Tucker said. “She is respected by teammates and coaches not only for her lacrosse skills but for her commitment to her teammates and confidence and composure under pressure. She is competitive and has a true love for and knowledge of the game.” it—in spite of the fact that most of her sophomore year was cut short because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Tucker said Faria has embraced her role as a vocal leader from the sidelines.

Year in and year out, the women’s team has enjoyed success during Faria’s time at W&L but fallen short in the NCAA playoffs.

It took Faria only three weeks after her injury to get back on the practice field to participate in noncontact drills.

“It’s always tough to see your team lose, especially when the score is that close, but I think it feels equally as frustrating being on or off the field,” Faria said. “I know that I still have a big impact on the team. My role has just changed for right now, and that’s okay. I just need to stay positive and help in whatever way I can until I’m back out there.”

Tucker said Faria’s intangible assets

“She has redirected her energy to encouraging her teammates and working on rehab to hopefully get back on the field as soon as she can,” Tucker said. “Her presence as a leader is equally valued both on and off the playing field.”

In her junior year, Faria eclipsed 100 goals, a feat not usually accomplished until a senior season by most players. But she did

“As a senior, injuries are much more upsetting,” she said. “I’ve been working with the athletic trainers every day to slowly increase the amount I can do. I’m just trying to stay optimistic and focus on what I can control to make my recovery as quick as possible.”