After what happened on March 31, there isn’t really anything that can faze Peotone’s Kate Cuthbertson on a soccer pitch anymore.
That day, the Blue Devils were playing at Joliet Catholic in their second game of the season and the senior midfielder was accidentally struck in the head by a kicked ball at close range.
“It was really scary,” Cuthbertson said after a 4-1 win over Beecher on April 29. “I got hit and there was blood in my eyes so I couldn’t really see down or to the side. I was just like, ‘Oh my God, my eye’s gonna fall out.'”
The diagnosis was a bruised retina and a hole in her retina, which led to laser surgery.
“Getting through that was hard,” Cuthbertson said. “And even coming back still, I’m a little off sometimes about it. But I’m just happy to be back.”
She does have experience with navigating a path back to playing after being sidelined.
“I’ve had a couple injuries in the past anyway, so I kind of have figured out how to deal with when you get hurt in the game and you’re a little scared of those plays again,” Cuthbertson said. “So I mean, I’m avoiding headers a bit. But you know, if it’s what I have to do, then I just have to get over it.”
The Blue Devils lost their first four games and five of their first six. But then they went 7-0-1 in their next eight, including the Beecher win, to improve to 8-5-1.
Second-year coach Ryan Murray doesn’t think it’s a coincidence that the Blue Devils have been rolling since Cuthbertson’s return.
“She had dealt with that injury early in.the season (then) came back, really created a nice spark for our latter half of the season,” Murray said. “She has an intensity that is hardly matched on the team. She’s always trying to move to the ball, but also (is) smart enough not to over-pursue.”
Cuthbertson had nine goals through May 2, which was good for third on the team behind junior forwards Allie Werner (18) and Peyton Bisping (12).
Werner, who scored twice against Beecher, was at 67 career goals and is on pace to break the program record.
“But the thing I respect about her most is she’s very selfless,” Murray said. “There’s opportunities where she’s in front of the goal but instead of taking that (shot) to try to chip away at that goal tally, she passes it to the middle.”
Werner also led the Blue Devils with 16 assists. “That’s maturity and a team-first mentality,” Murray said.
Beecher (10-10) also has an elite scorer in junior Grace Durante, who already is the program career leader with 125 goals and counting. She had 42 through 19 games this season.
“She means a lot to the program,” Bobcats coach Jonathan Kypuros said. “I can’t really even put into words what she’s able to do, how she’s able to put the ball into the back of the net. It inspires young kids in the area, not just girls but boys too.
“When you’re that prolific of a goal scorer, good things just happen and it’s contagious. Other kids want to emulate that and be like that. And I think it’s just good for the sport within this community.”