Team USA: No Quit in Berger
by Brian Logue | Lacrosse Magazine Online Staff
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Three knee injuries and a late cut have not deterred Kelly Berger from her dream of playing with Team USA. ©John Strohsacker/LaxPhotos.com |
Just three years removed from her own college graduation, Kelly Berger is living a dream she always had – running her own college lacrosse program.
“I’m kind of in shock that I got the job that I have,” said Berger, who has led UMBC to a 6-3 start after Sunday’s 9-7 victory over Delaware. “Every day I drive to work and I think how lucky I am to have the opportunity that I have.”
Berger, a 2007 graduate of James Madison University, spent the previous two seasons as an assistant coach at UMBC before being named the head coach at the end of last season. While she may consider herself lucky to be in her current position, she’s had to overcome plenty of bad luck along the way.
Her junior year at JMU, she tore the meniscus in her knee, and the following year she tore her ACL. She came back to extend her playing career on the U.S. team, and tore the ACL in her other knee. Each time, she kept coming back.
“It’s made me a stronger player, and it’s made me appreciate being healthy,” said Berger.
It’s also turned her into a sympathetic ear to her own players, and even her brother, Stephen, a professional player with the Long Island Lizards who had an ACL tear of his own to overcome.
Kelly Berger had another tough challenge to overcome last summer. A year after going to the Czech Republic as a member of the U.S. team that won the Prague Cup, she was one of the final cuts for the U.S. World Cup team, and missed out on Team USA’s world championship. It could have marked the end of her playing career, but she wasn’t ready to hang up her cleats.
“It’s something I love to do, and I’m not willing to give that up,” said Berger.
She’s set a new goal – making the 2013 U.S. World Cup team. It’s the keep-coming-back attitude that has served Berger so well in the sport. She viewed being cut as a detour, not a roadblock. She really didn’t hesitate when she considered whether or not to return. It was the sport, and friendship, that drew her back.
“It’s just the love the game and my competitiveness,” said Berger. “The girls are still there. It’s just one more year. I helped them prepare and they rocked.”
