Kaneland’s Brigid Gannon didn’t have to look far for inspiration.
Gannon, who returned from a torn ACL in just 5 1/2 months during her junior year, has always striven to draw upon the love and influence of her mother, Maureen.
“I always wanted to see my mom in myself,” Brigid said. “She was a great runner, super competitive and a great influence on me.
“She was the reason I started playing soccer at the age of 5. She was my first coach, and she was the one always on the sidelines telling me what to do.”
Maureen’s focus now is on teaching and family, but Brigid has turned into a star for the Knights (8-4, 4-0). The elite senior forward has scored 20 goals to go with five assists.
A standout guard in basketball, the 5-foot-7 Gannon is back in her element in soccer. She uses her exceptional blend of size, speed and power to overwhelm the opposition.
Gannon scored seven goals in dominant back-to-back wins Monday and Tuesday over Rochelle and Plano in Interstate Eight Conference play. She’s making up for lost time.
She suffered the injury to her left knee in August 2021.
“I grew up playing soccer my whole life,” she said. “Getting stripped of that for almost half a year was really tough.
“I think the strength and endurance of wanting to be back on that field, and pushing myself every day in therapy, knowing it was going to be worth it, no matter the pain, no matter the amount of tears, is what pushed me.”
The time away allowed her to strengthen her body and prepare herself emotionally for absorbing contact and taking hits.
As a junior last spring, she scored 20 goals and contributed eight assists.
“She has worked really hard to come back from the injury,” Kaneland coach Scott Parillo said of Gannon. “Brigid has a knack for scoring and always seems to be in the right place at the right time.
“She is not afraid to get in the scrum.”
With her height, Gannon is superb at leveraging her body to attack the goal or elevate in space.
“She loves to get her head on the ball to get it in the back,” Parillo said. “She is also a beast on corners.”
The sport has always taken on a deeply familial bond due to her mother’s encouragement.
Brigid’s younger sister Zoe, a sophomore, adds an extra layer as a central midfielder for Kaneland.
“She is small but she is fierce and already a great player,” Brigid said of Zoe.
Zoe enjoys the confidence she receives from her sister.
“During games, Brigid always supports me,” Zoe said. “Knowing her on a deeper connection is an amazing feeling on the field.
“She is a tough worker who always strives to do her best on and off the field. She always makes sure during practice to lift others up and make sure we have a great time.”
Scoring is as much a state of mind as a reflection of skill and technique.
Brigid Gannon is the type of player who always wants the ball at her feet, creating pressure and orchestrating the attack.
“I want the ball to go somewhere and I want to do something with it,” she said. “I always want to have a path to run and operate and make an impact on the field.”
That mindset helped during basketball when Gannon, who lost her entire freshman soccer season due to the pandemic, played again after recovering from knee surgery.
“Just being back on the court was amazing,” Gannon said. “We were playing Sycamore and we had never beaten them in my four years.
“I was standing at the free-throw line, and I had this overwhelming emotion. Being with the girls, the coaches and getting my rhythm back was just an incredible feeling, something I will never forget.”
Patrick Z. McGavin is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.
