As she came in off the bench for Marist and ran onto the field for the first time in 2026, junior midfielder Mia Sherry felt nerves that went beyond typical season-opener jitters.
Sherry was playing in her first game since she suffered a torn ACL last April. And she wasn’t quite sure what to expect.
“It’s been a hard couple of months,” Sherry said. “Getting back from ACL surgery is really hard and it’s hard not to lack confidence after a long time not playing. I didn’t get to play club season, so this was my first contact game back.
“Obviously, there was a little bit of doubt, but I try to keep a positive mindset.”
Sherry’s comeback is off to a fast start. She scored twice in less than a minute in the second half Wednesday night as Marist broke things open late for a 3-0 win over Lemont in a Windy City Ram Classic first-round game at Joliet West.
Freshman midfielder Elianna Tzotzos broke a scoreless tie by converting with 14:30 remaining to start the surge for the RedHawks (1-0), who will host Joliet West (1-0) at 6 p.m. Thursday in a second-round game.
Giuliana Conte made four saves for the shutout, getting help from a defense led by Liliana Madrid, Vivian Rybak, Julia Skol and Addison Woodward.
Kaelyn Shaughnessy made four saves for Lemont (0-1). Alexandra Chrisman put two shots on goal.
Sherry, meanwhile, ripped in a high shot from 25 yards with 7:25 left. That gave her the energy to score again less than a minute later.
“I’ve been working really hard, so to get that first goal, I felt that adrenaline rush and my confidence really came back,” Sherry said. “After that, I felt like myself again.”
Woodward was thrilled to see it.
“It was awesome,” Woodward said. “Mia was doubting herself and I was like, ‘No, you’ve got it.’ After she got the first goal, it gave her the confidence to get the second one.”
Sherry scored 13 goals last season and was the team’s leading scorer before the injury sidelined her for the end of the regular season and the playoffs.
“It was tough,” Sherry said. “I obviously love the sport and I love my team and I always want to be able to help. It was not fun not being able to help them.”
The timing of the injury left some doubt about whether it would be a smooth transition to the 2026 season. Sherry had surgery last May, then jumped into the rehab process.
“There was some worry that I wouldn’t be back for the start of the season but I really pushed myself,” Sherry said. “I’m a go-getter and I really wanted to be back for all of my junior season.
“My seniors are leaving this year and I’ve been with them since freshman year, so I wanted to be back for them and for the team.”
Sherry didn’t start Wednesday as Marist coach Chris Roe pointed out the plan is to ease her back into action.
But she sure finished strong.
“We know how talented she is and she’s still coming up,” Roe said. “We’re trying to bring her along as smart as we can. Lemont’s no joke, so to come out here and get this win and see her score twice, it’s a good start.”
Sherry is back to doing what she loves most. Scoring goals on the soccer field.
“The mental part of the recovery is probably the hardest,” she said. “You never know if you’re going to be back or not. That’s really hard. But I had my family and my friends supporting me and that made it a lot easier.
“I’m really happy to be playing again.”
