Forti back in the saddle

English High girls soccer coach Ed McNeil is gaining a player, but losing an “assistant,” this fall.Senior Megan Forti will be back in the lineup come September after missing her entire junior season due to an ACL injury. What makes Forti’s comeback particularly impressive is that it was the second time in her high school career she’s had to rehab from a torn ACL.The first time happened during a varsity basketball game her freshman year. She had played soccer for English in the fall, but the injury to her left knee sidelined her for the club soccer season.”Obviously I was devastated (the first time it happened), but I figured I was only a freshman, I had three years left,” Forti said. “I thought, ‘I’ll get through this. I’ll be back.'”And she did come back. Forti said she was at about 90 percent at the start of her sophomore season and, by the end, was close to 100 percent recovered. Lady Luck, however, was not in her corner. She blew out her right knee during a club soccer tryout, and that injury put her on the sidelines her entire junior season.”The second one was much worse (to handle emotionally),” Forti said. “It just happened so fast. I thought, ‘Wow, I can’t believe this happened again.’ It kept me down a little longer mentally.”The injury did not, however, keep Forti from being on the sidelines at every English game and practice.”I couldn’t stay away,” Forti said.Although McNeil couldn’t be reached Wednesday night for comment, he has said in the past that having Forti on the sidelines was like having an assistant coach.Forti said she’s looking forward to playing her final year for the Bulldogs. She’s also excited about the prospect of playing soccer in college. Forti said there are a couple of schools she’s interested in already, including Worcester Polytechnic Institute and Yale. Her brother, Alex, goes to WPI.As tough as it was for Forti to sit on the sidelines, the senior captain (along with Cara Crowley and Britney Goulet) did learn a few things from the experience, including how important it is for athletes, especially girls, to strengthen the muscles around their knees to help prevent ACL injuries. In Forti’s case, recovering from a torn ACL was a six-month ordeal, but it can take considerably longer.Forti also learned to not get down when you encounter an obstacle in life.”My advice (to anyone in the same position) would be don’t let it get you down, even for a minute. You have to work past it. You’ll get better. You’ll come back even stronger,” she said.Forti’s expecting the Bulldogs to have a good year.”I think we have a really good team this year,” Forti said. “I think we can win more games than in the past. I’m so excited. I’m just ready to play. I can’t wait to get out there for our first game.”