Flagler-Palm Coast senior Savannah O'Grady was already in a relationship with Eastern Florida State University women's soccer coach Scott Carswell before suffering a torn ACL this season.
Carswell helped the O'Gradys connect with the team's doctors who performed Savannah's anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction surgery and meniscal repair. At that point, there was no question as to which school Savannah would choose to continue her soccer career.
“That solidified that Coach Scott is all about helping me as a person, not just as a player,” she said.
O'Grady was one of three FPC women's soccer players to sign a letter of intent to play soccer in college on March 12. O'Grady signed with Eastern Florida State University. Midfielder/forward Kaitlin Steiner signed with Warner University, which competes at the NAIA level. and defenseman Samantha Jennings signed with Coker University, an NCAA Division II school.
O'Grady, a defensive midfielder, had scored 11 goals in eight games before injuring his knee against Matanzas on December 5. O'Grady, the team's “outspoken captain,” “continued to lead from the sideline,” said Scott, the athletic director. Drabczyk said this while introducing the three players at the school's signing ceremony.
She never missed a game, including the Bulldogs' district championship game on Jan. 31, the day after her surgery in Orlando.
“I took painkillers and headed to (Daytona State University),” she said. “I couldn’t have missed it for nothing.”
The Bulldogs played the final 15 games without O'Grady, but her 11 goals still led the team at season's end.
Six weeks after surgery, she started juggling soccer balls again. In six months, she hopes to be able to move and cut her body on the soccer field. Although she won't be able to play in her freshman season, she hopes to be back in time for spring training in 2025.
All of her rehabilitation and examinations by surgeons will be done on campus, she said.
Steiner knows what it's like to recover from a torn ACL. She had surgery on her right knee two years ago, but she didn't feel like she was fully back until this year. Steiner had seven goals and seven assists for FPC this season.
She said she chose Warner University in Lake Wales partly because it offered the most scholarships and partly because it was close to home.
“I'm very family-oriented. This is also a Christian school, and that's important to me,” Steiner said.
Jennings, who transferred from Seabreeze earlier this semester, said he is looking forward to continuing his soccer and academic career at Coker in Hartsville, South Carolina.
“I’m really excited,” she said. “They have a beautiful campus. The fields look great. I love coach (Michael Donald). I'm ready.”