Back from injury: Cornish ready to lead girls soccer

Manteca High Defender Brooklyn Cornish organizes her defense during a Valley Oak League game against rival Sierra on Friday Jan. 20, 2023, at Sierra High School. (Photo contributed)

By ETHAN FRASER
The Tower

Brooklyn Cornish is a sophomore captain for the Manteca High girls soccer team. Cornish has returned from an injury that sat her out for months.

How will she do? What impact will she have?

Those questions haunt Cornish, who returned to the field on Dec. 1, but not her head coach.

“I believe Brooklyn is going to have a huge impact, just going off last year,” coach Justin Coenenberg said. “She was a tremendous asset to us on the field. She is a very strong defender and is often able to shut down the team’s best player and she is also able to win the ball and get involved in the attack on the offensive end. She has great strength, great speed, and is a smart player so we are expecting a lot of good things out of her this season.”

Cornish is a stopper for Manteca High. Cornish suffered an injury while training with her club team that stopped her from playing for a few months.

Manteca High defender Brooklyn Cornish wins the ball off of an attacking player on Saturday March 4, 2023, in Las Vegas. (Photo contributed)

Cornish was running hills as a punishment at practice when she stepped on a hidden sewer that tore her perennial tendon in June 2018. The injury progressively got worse as her coach told her she was faking it and to just shake it off.

When Cornish went to the doctor five years ago, the torn tendon didn’t show up in the x-ray because she was too small. She was told she could return to practice for Manteca Futbol Club’s 08 Girls team. With Cornish playing on it for five years without any diagnosis it caused the pain to build up and never go away.

She played a full 30-game high-school before deciding to get it checked out again. When she got it checked out the doctor told her she had a torn perennial tendon and had to get surgery. The Manteca High student went through surgery in which the doctor used a plastic cover to allow her tendon to heal properly. Cornish went through months of physical therapy and is now returning to practice.

Cornish returned to the pitch on Friday, Dec. 1, for the annual Kicking for a Cure soccer match with Lathrop High. Cornish was sad having to watch her team struggle in games without her, knowing she couldn’t do anything but cheer.

Even though she was injured, she still showed up to practices so she could understand what her team was doing so she could be in rhythm when she returns.

“I mostly just listened to what the coach had to say,” Cornish said. “I couldn’t practice especially because I was on crutches.”

Despite Cornish being a sophomore and coming back from injury, Coenenberg still found her fit to be a captain.

“We noticed her leadership skills last year as a freshman. She is just a natural leader, and she is very well respected by the girls,” he said. “We thought she would be a good up and coming captain that would lead us into the future.”

The Tower caught up with Cornish to discuss her injury and the toll it took on her, as well as her return to the field.

The Tower: What injury did you sustain?

Brooklyn Cornish: My perennial tendon ripped so they had to put plastic around it to make it better.

TT: How did it happen?

BC: I was doing hills at practice, and I fell in a sewer and my foot snapped and I kept playing which made it worse.

TT: When are you expected to return?

BC: I am expected to return tomorrow (12/1/23) or by the start of league.

TT: What recovery processes did you go through?

BC: A lot of physical therapy.

TT: How has your injury affected your mental health?

BC: It was so sad watching other people play and just having to sit there.

TT: Since your injury was there any way to continue practicing so you could be ready to return?

BC: No, I mostly just listen to everything the coach has to say, but I couldn’t practice especially because I was on crutches.

TT: Do you think your injury will affect your play?

BC: For a little bit. I think it will be hard coming back but I feel I will get better after a few games.

TT: What did they do in the surgery?

BC: They went in and put a plastic thing in to make it better.