Casey Ramirez can’t imagine how Megan Bellingham has fought through four turbulent years on the Syracuse women’s soccer team.

Ramirez, a senior defender, has seen Bellingham, the team’s only other senior, suffer three knee injuries during her career with the Orange — each more debilitating than the others.

But Bellingham has found a way to turn each heartbreaking setback into something worthwhile. And although Bellingham can’t take the playing field for her senior year in 2011, she’s still positioned herself to be a contributor for SU (2-3-3, 1-1 Big East) this season. She’s remained on the team as a student assistant coach, never questioning whether or not she wanted to stick around.

‘Soccer is something I’ve done my whole life, and I really love the game,’ Bellingham said. ‘I love this program, I really believe in where it’s going, so I was just fortunate enough to have the opportunity to come and help anyway I could.’

It wasn’t long ago that Bellingham was helping SU on the pitch with her stellar play.

The forward was having one of the best statistical seasons on the team. Through 13 games, Bellingham had three goals and three assists.

But that 13th game proved to be her last as a player for SU.

Still, she was tied for the team lead with nine points at the end of the season despite playing seven fewer games than the rest of the team.

After that knee injury, Bellingham underwent surgery. She was working her way back to playing her senior year for an Orange team that remained in desperate need of her scoring.

‘There’s always a great opportunity to learn, even in a difficult situation,’ Bellingham said. ‘That’s probably when you learn the most.

But Bellingham was snakebitten again.

During the summer, Bellingham reinjured that same left knee. Although it didn’t require surgery, it keeps her out of the 2011 season.

Being injured for three of her five seasons hasn’t been an easy pill to swallow.

‘Last season it was my senior year,’ Bellingham said. ‘I was really looking forward to playing. I had worked hard to come back. I think once that one happened, it was pretty frustrating.’

Bellingham’s teammates have learned the importance of being resilient through watching her struggle.

Ramirez said Bellingham has always had a great commitment to the program, and while she can’t play, it’s still great seeing her stick around as a coach.

Even Megan Hunsberger, a freshman that never shared the playing field with Bellingham, looks at her as a leader.

As for SU head coach Phil Wheddon, he has a great amount of respect for her.

‘She’s been dedicated to the program since she’s been here,’ Wheddon said. ‘She’s faced a lot of adversity, and this just shows the quality of her character that she still wants to come out and be involved even though she can’t play.’

Wheddon said her role as a student assistant is crucial to the team’s success. Sometimes a player won’t understand a coaching decision, but when a player hears from a peer it might make more sense.

Bellingham will usually aid coaches on day-to-day operations like studying video and working with players on an individual level. As someone closer to the player’s age, her message can be even more effective than the coaches’ message.

And as much as Bellingham has helped Wheddon and assistant coaches Abby Crumpton and Adam Reekie with prepping the team, she has also learned a lot.

She wants to become a coach of her own team one day, and Bellingham has been a sponge to everything the coaches have said and done throughout the season.

‘They’ve all been just really awesome in trying to be really intentional in letting me know what they’re doing and what their motives behind it are,’ Bellingham said.

So while she won’t be able to play with her teammates as they attempt to reach the Big East tournament this year, Bellingham isn’t one to sulk. She has turned the situation into a positive by continuing to contribute to the team — just in a different form.

Said Bellingham: ‘This is your new role, and you can either dwell on what could have been or you can just move forward to the future.’

dgproppe@syr.edu

Published on September 20, 2011 at 12:00 pm