Persevering Through a Season-Ending Injury
08.20.24 | Men's Soccer
Senior men’s soccer forward reflects on his rehab during the 2023 season
CINCINNATI - Feeling the pain immediately, forward Fabrizio Bernal de la Garza, 2022 team-leading goal scorer, said he realized his 2023 season might be over after the impact on the turf. On September 4, 2023, Bernal De La Garza suffered a torn ACL against Cleveland State, just four games into the 2023 season. Bernal De La Garza said collegiate soccer is a sprint, and your season could be over at any moment. His 2023 injury left him to face this reality.
"[The injury news] was hard. It was disappointing because I had worked so hard to be fit for the team to have a good season," Bernal de la Garza said. "I called my parents right away…. They encouraged me to look at things objectively to see what I could do next to stay strong, and how I could get better, and honestly, it [gave me] time to reflect and see where I was in life and what was important to me."
In September 2023, Bernal de la Garza received surgery on his knee; he found the first few weeks of rehab to be the most challenging.
"The most basic things that a person would do, I couldn't do the first month," Bernal de la Garza said. "I couldn't get up by myself, I couldn't shower, and I had to sit down [for everything]. Everything took a while, even to cook. It was tedious and difficult at first."
Bernal de la Garza said he is thankful for his mother's help, having stayed with him the first month after the surgery. In addition to the physical hardship of the injury, Bernal de la Garza sought a different role from the previous season (2022). Instead of contributing by putting the ball in the back of the net, his outlook changed.
"The biggest thing I kept telling myself was I don't want this to be a sob story. I don't want people to feel bad for me," Bernal de la Garza said. "It was a tough time in my life, but there was bigger things other than me. The team was doing good. We were hitting our objectives…. Of course, sometimes it was hard to keep a smile, and it was hard to be positive [with the injury]. But, I knew we were working for something bigger than myself. That was my best way of contributing to the team at that time, trying to be a good teammate and being positive."
Expecting a big 2023 season from Bernal de la Garza, Xavier men's soccer Head Coach John Higgins said he had looked fantastic in preseason and the first few regular season matches. Likewise, Higgins was impressed by how well Bernal de la Garza handled his injury and the resulting new team role.
"He was incredibly positive through it all. He's worked hard through every stage of the comeback…," Higgins said. "There's never been a moment where he looked down feeling sorry for himself. And the body language from him was even more powerful than even the conversations he was having with the players. He's a positive guy in the locker room…. We needed his energy in the locker room, and he continued to bring that energy and positivity."
Unexpectedly, Bernal de la Garza said he found himself with less free time than he anticipated while balancing physical therapy and other duties. However, he said he learned new things about himself, and how he needs to operate in the future.
"You don't also just learn about yourself, but you learn also about your mental strength," Bernal de la Garza said. "You learn how resilient you can be as a person and also learn how important it is to have people that love you and [that] you love around yourself. If it wasn't for my family, if it wasn't for my close friends and my staff, it would have been a nightmare. You have so much time to reflect and really see the areas of your life that you're really blessed with."
Throughout this process, Bernal de la Garza said former men's soccer athletic trainer Connor Gearhart pushed him to be stronger, still checking in on him despite moving across the country. During his rehab, Bernal de la Garza said that Xavier men's soccer team manager Brian McNicholas helped him complete some of the simple jobs.
"He helped me so much, he would give me cafe swipes in the cafe, and he would bring me food," Bernal de la Garza said. "We would do stuff together, and he would always be a good friend. I got close with him during that time, and I saw how good of a person he is."
Similar to supporting him through his college career, Bernal de la Garza is thankful for the help his parents, especially his mother, provided him during this time. Bernal de la Garza said his mother traveled in from Texas to help settle him in. Bernal de la Garza's immediate family is located in Texas, while his extended family still lives in Monterrey, Mexico. He said he has always had the support of his family throughout his career; therefore, it was a tough change moving far away from home when he first came to Xavier.
"It was a huge change, but I was really close with a couple of guys on the team; that helped a lot…," Bernal de la Garza said. "It was hard at first, but you don't have really a choice but to adapt, and I think I did it well after my first year. I really learned to like Cincinnati. I love their culture. I love the school."
Much like adapting when he first joined the men's team, Bernal de la Garza had to reacclimate after his injury. In June 2024, Bernal de la Garza took to the pitch again, continuing his rehab on the field. He said it felt great to have the opportunity to get the cleats back on.
"After eight months watching from the sideline, it was a great feeling to be with the team and being around all my boys…," Bernal de la Garza said. "It's fun to be around the guys and just be around that energy; you miss it after a while. I'm really grateful even though I wasn't, 'A full go' I was still part of the team…. It makes me want to be back on the field even more now because you get a little taste of it…. Everyone's been super supportive of me and my recovery. They know I've been working hard, and they've been working hard for me. So the hard work is going to pay off soon."
"[The injury news] was hard. It was disappointing because I had worked so hard to be fit for the team to have a good season," Bernal de la Garza said. "I called my parents right away…. They encouraged me to look at things objectively to see what I could do next to stay strong, and how I could get better, and honestly, it [gave me] time to reflect and see where I was in life and what was important to me."
In September 2023, Bernal de la Garza received surgery on his knee; he found the first few weeks of rehab to be the most challenging.
"The most basic things that a person would do, I couldn't do the first month," Bernal de la Garza said. "I couldn't get up by myself, I couldn't shower, and I had to sit down [for everything]. Everything took a while, even to cook. It was tedious and difficult at first."
Bernal de la Garza said he is thankful for his mother's help, having stayed with him the first month after the surgery. In addition to the physical hardship of the injury, Bernal de la Garza sought a different role from the previous season (2022). Instead of contributing by putting the ball in the back of the net, his outlook changed.
"The biggest thing I kept telling myself was I don't want this to be a sob story. I don't want people to feel bad for me," Bernal de la Garza said. "It was a tough time in my life, but there was bigger things other than me. The team was doing good. We were hitting our objectives…. Of course, sometimes it was hard to keep a smile, and it was hard to be positive [with the injury]. But, I knew we were working for something bigger than myself. That was my best way of contributing to the team at that time, trying to be a good teammate and being positive."
Expecting a big 2023 season from Bernal de la Garza, Xavier men's soccer Head Coach John Higgins said he had looked fantastic in preseason and the first few regular season matches. Likewise, Higgins was impressed by how well Bernal de la Garza handled his injury and the resulting new team role.
"He was incredibly positive through it all. He's worked hard through every stage of the comeback…," Higgins said. "There's never been a moment where he looked down feeling sorry for himself. And the body language from him was even more powerful than even the conversations he was having with the players. He's a positive guy in the locker room…. We needed his energy in the locker room, and he continued to bring that energy and positivity."
Unexpectedly, Bernal de la Garza said he found himself with less free time than he anticipated while balancing physical therapy and other duties. However, he said he learned new things about himself, and how he needs to operate in the future.
"You don't also just learn about yourself, but you learn also about your mental strength," Bernal de la Garza said. "You learn how resilient you can be as a person and also learn how important it is to have people that love you and [that] you love around yourself. If it wasn't for my family, if it wasn't for my close friends and my staff, it would have been a nightmare. You have so much time to reflect and really see the areas of your life that you're really blessed with."
Throughout this process, Bernal de la Garza said former men's soccer athletic trainer Connor Gearhart pushed him to be stronger, still checking in on him despite moving across the country. During his rehab, Bernal de la Garza said that Xavier men's soccer team manager Brian McNicholas helped him complete some of the simple jobs.
"He helped me so much, he would give me cafe swipes in the cafe, and he would bring me food," Bernal de la Garza said. "We would do stuff together, and he would always be a good friend. I got close with him during that time, and I saw how good of a person he is."
Similar to supporting him through his college career, Bernal de la Garza is thankful for the help his parents, especially his mother, provided him during this time. Bernal de la Garza said his mother traveled in from Texas to help settle him in. Bernal de la Garza's immediate family is located in Texas, while his extended family still lives in Monterrey, Mexico. He said he has always had the support of his family throughout his career; therefore, it was a tough change moving far away from home when he first came to Xavier.
"It was a huge change, but I was really close with a couple of guys on the team; that helped a lot…," Bernal de la Garza said. "It was hard at first, but you don't have really a choice but to adapt, and I think I did it well after my first year. I really learned to like Cincinnati. I love their culture. I love the school."
Much like adapting when he first joined the men's team, Bernal de la Garza had to reacclimate after his injury. In June 2024, Bernal de la Garza took to the pitch again, continuing his rehab on the field. He said it felt great to have the opportunity to get the cleats back on.
"After eight months watching from the sideline, it was a great feeling to be with the team and being around all my boys…," Bernal de la Garza said. "It's fun to be around the guys and just be around that energy; you miss it after a while. I'm really grateful even though I wasn't, 'A full go' I was still part of the team…. It makes me want to be back on the field even more now because you get a little taste of it…. Everyone's been super supportive of me and my recovery. They know I've been working hard, and they've been working hard for me. So the hard work is going to pay off soon."