It was a long road, but Rebecca Abbott is finally on the field.
After ACL injuries to both knees sidelined her for two years, the junior defender's number was finally called this season, and she is certainly making her presence felt.
"Rab," as her teammates call her, scored the tying goal and sparked the Jumbos' offense in their come-from-behind, 2-1 win over league rival Bowdoin on Saturday.
"It's really exciting," she said. "I have been waiting two years to play."
Although Abbott's injury-riddled career could have easily come to an early end, she refused to quit. As a freshman in high school, Abbott tore a ligament in her neck and was out for 18 months. Instead of moping about lost playing time, Abbott made herself useful, helping coach the JV soccer team her sophomore year.
"Rab is the epitome of perseverance," coach Martha Whiting said. "I think a lot of people would have thrown in the towel by now, but not Rab. She plays with heart and intensity every time she steps on the field."
Coming into her freshman year at Tufts, Abbott was a mystery woman to the Jumbo coaching staff. Hindered by injuries sustained during a minor car accident a week prior to tryouts, she did not have her best showing and received a spot on the JV roster, where she played until her first ACL injury during a game against Harvard in 2004. Abbott had surgery that November and rehabbed with an eye on competing with the varsity team.
That summer Abbott played club soccer with Dynamis United in Boston, coached by Tufts assistant men's soccer coach George Saropoulos, in preparation for her tryout in the fall. While playing with Dynamis, Abbott tore her other ACL and was sidelined for her sophomore year of Tufts soccer. Hours and hours of rehab gave Abbott the chance to come back to the sport, as she lifted and trained with the varsity team all spring.
"Rab is one of the hardest-working soccer players I have ever met," sophomore Laura Chapman said. "She is constantly trying to find some way to improve as a player."
Abbott had one more obstacle in her path, and this one had nothing to do with the soccer field. While she was recovering from ACL surgery, her family was forced to evacuate their home in Lakeview, La., one of the areas hardest hit by Hurricane Katrina.
"Our neighborhood is five to 10 feet below sea level. After Katrina there was 12 feet of water on our street, and five feet inside our house," Abbott said.
Abbott's family moved to Athens, Ga., for the year, where they rented an apartment. This year, the Abbotts moved back to New Orleans in an area uptown that was not as heavily damaged.
Finally, Abbott healed fully and earned a slot on the varsity team this year and now competes as center midfielder for the Jumbos.
Abbott's hard-working attitude extends far beyond the soccer field. She is majoring in mechanical engineering and serves as an RA in Carmichael Hall. Not only has she persevered in returning to the field, but she also used her injuries to help others off the field.
Last summer, Abbott worked full-time on Boston Ave. for a company called Tissue Regeneration Inc. The company develops biomedical technology to solve unmet clinical needs in musculoskeletal and general medicine. Abbott got involved with the company after her injuries, and she now works in the engineering department with programming.
The company has close ties to Tufts-the president, Greg Altman, graduated from Tufts in 1997, played football for the Jumbos, and did his doctoral work with David Kaplan, the chair of the Tufts Department of Biomedical Engineering-but TRI has a personal connection for Abbott as well, one that goes back to the scars on her knees.
"The surgeon from the Tufts Medical Center who did both of my knee surgeries is on the board [at TRI]," Abbott said. "My job involved creating a program that controlled a mechanical testing device that the researchers are now using in their study to characterize the synthetic ACLs."
After graduation, Abbott hopes to remain in Boston to continue her work in the biomedical sciences. Through all of her medical and family troubles, Abbott has continued to work hard and keep her academics, her soccer game, and her life on track.
"It is amazing all that she has been able to accomplish," senior tri-captain Annie Ross said. "She has this inner drive that is so unique and really makes her a special person."
