Forest Park Junior Will 'Sit on the Bench and Cheer'
By Liam Dillon
Special to The Washington Post
Thursday, May 12, 2005
Forest Park junior Victoria Damren was in good spirits Monday afternoon on the way home from knee surgery to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament suffered two weeks ago.
The injury will keep the attacking forward out of action the rest of the season, but Damren said she plans to be back for her senior year. She unofficially committed to play soccer at Florida State University the week of her injury.
"I'm feeling great," Damren said. "I just want to focus on my rehab and get better as soon as possible."
The injury occurred when Damren landed after jumping to make a play on an air ball midway through the first half of the No. 6 Bruins' 2-0 non-district victory over Stonewall Jackson on April 29. In the fall, Damren damaged her meniscus and other cartilage, requiring doctors to take muscle off her patella to reconstruct her knee. Damren said that she will have physical therapy four times a week for the next five months.
In the meantime, the Bruins (7-1-2) will try to continue their recent success. Forest Park is unbeaten since the first game of the season; on Tuesday, the Bruins tied Woodbridge, 1-1, in their first full game without Damren.
"I'm exited to watch them play," Damren said Monday. "I want to be very supportive. I'm going to sit on the bench and cheer."
Damren is the second Cardinal District player recently to commit to an ACC school. Gar-Field junior Kendall Irby, who plays on the same club team as Damren, selected North Carolina State last month.
This past season, Florida State finished 12-5-3 and lost on penalty kicks to Boston College in the first round of the NCAA tournament. The ACC is considered one of the best soccer conferences in the country.
