100 Percent
August 15, 2007 12:29 PM | General
August 15, 2007
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Coming off an injury that robbed her of seven games last season, senior Ashley Banks is looking to make the most of her final season in a Mountaineer women’s soccer uniform.
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| Ashley Banks is looking for a healthy senior season in 2007.
Dale Sparks/All-Pro Photography |
The Annandale, Va., native, can play both forward and midfield for West Virginia and she started the first 11 games of the season last year before an MCL sprain sidelined her against Notre Dame.
“I went in for a tackle and we both kind of hit the ball at the same time,” Banks said. “My knee obviously hurt and I don’t know exactly what happened, but I came out of the game and they did some tests on me and it was very frustrating that I couldn’t get back in.”
Banks returned to the field in the Mountaineers’ Big East quarterfinal victory against Louisville. The game ended in a draw and while Banks admits she was not 100 percent, she did manage to knock in a penalty kick that helped West Virginia advance 5-4.
The MCL sprain was Banks’ first major injury of her West Virginia career and she notes that coming back is often more difficult mentally than physically.
“You wonder sometimes, do I want to go in for this tackle because this is how I hurt it last time? But once you hit that first strike of the ball or get your first tackle in, you can get your confidence back pretty quickly,” Banks said.
From a physical standpoint, Banks says the Mountaineer training staff helped her every step of the way throughout her rehabilitation.
“The trainers here get you on a program to strengthen the muscles around the injury while also strengthening your injured muscles. I would go in once or twice a day and get certain treatments,” Banks said. “They have machines that help and you do certain exercises to help strengthen the muscles around it. They try to build your muscles up so you won’t injure it again.”
Banks was back to 100 percent by the spring and spent the summer playing for the Northern Virginia Majestics of the USL W-League. The USL is the highest level of women’s soccer in the U.S. and Canada, featuring the top women’s players throughout the world. Banks was one of eight Mountaineers to play in the W-League this summer.
“Playing with a team this summer helped me dramatically. I played against some of the nation’s best collegiate players as well as a girl from the Brazilian national team,” Banks said. “Playing against that caliber of players is a really good way to keep up your fitness and your touch and your shot. It’s very helpful to be able to play throughout the summer.”
Banks is hoping that summer experience can help her build on a 2006 season in which despite her injury she still managed to score six goals and dish out three assists, good for third on the team with 15 points.
“I’m just really hoping to get better as a player and as a team this year. Just being a senior is enough motivation but it’s not just about being a senior,” Banks said. “Every year you step out on the field you want to win a Big East championship or a national championship.”
The Mountaineers enter 2007 as the defending American Division regular season champions. Banks recognizes the importance of getting the eight true freshmen that will enter the program this season accustomed to that high level of success.
“That was a great accomplishment for our team and hopefully that segways successfully into this season,” Banks said. “We have freshman coming in that haven’t experienced that but we have so we need to incorporate them into that and build on that success.”
Banks says that having West Virginia host this year’s Big East tournament will make her final season in Morgantown even more special.
“It is a huge thing because it’s good for our University and it’s good for the program,” Banks said. “Obviously we want to make it to the Big East and win a tournament championship and then keep succeeding in the NCAA and try to win a national championship.”
Accomplishing those goals will be a lot easier with a healthy Ashley Banks in 2007.
