On The Mend

by Marc Narducci | Dec 18, 2024

Ireland Kay was preparing for a big senior soccer season at Sterling until suffering a knee injury in August while playing in a summer league game for the Silver Knights.

As a junior Kay was a South Jersey Soccer Coaches Association First-Team All-South Jersey selection at midfield.

Sterling went 16-1-3 and captured the South Jersey Soccer Coaches Tournament championship. That was a significant title since it included the best teams in South Jersey. More impressive is that Sterling is a Group 2 school and beat three Group 4 school enroute to the title, including a penalty kick shootout win over Eastern in the championship game.

Sterling also went 10-0 to win the Colonial Conference Liberty Division. The lone loss was 2-0 to Cinnaminson in a South Jersey Group 2 semifinal.

Ireland was the catalyst of the team with 14 goals and a team-high 13 assists.

The injury occurred during the championship game against Paul VI in the Deptford Summer League.

“It was a non-contact injury,” she recalled. “I stepped and planted and it went from there.”

Here is somebody who has been playing soccer for much of her life and was coached by her father Jim both in youth leagues and at Sterling.

Imagine how devastating it was to see her high school season over before it had a chance to start.

“I definitely think it’s a tough mental battle, especially just watching on the sidelines, especially with my dad and our last year together,” she said.

Even though she didn’t get to play her senior year, Ireland Kay says she will also cherish the time being coached by her father.

“Sometimes he can be a little on me,” she said. “But I would never change it for the world. I thought it was really special that we got to experience, even growing up 13 years playing with him.”

As a sign of respect for Ireland, this year she was named to the South Jersey Soccer Coaches Senior All-Star game even though she didn’t play this past season.

Ireland kept supporting her teammates all season and to Sterling’s credit, the Silver Knights got hot toward the end of the season.

Sterling would finish 11-8-2, but the Silver Knights advanced to the South Jersey Group 2 championship game before seeing their season end with a 1-0 loss to Colonial Conference Liberty Division rival Haddonfield.

From Ireland Kay’s standpoint, a major positive is that she will continue her soccer career as she will attend LaSalle.

She committed to LaSalle last January and the Explorers, who often do a good job recruiting in South Jersey, kept their commitment to Kay.

“It is really nice to know that even throughout an injury like this, that I have something to work for just in the future and I’m just really happy and positive about that,” she said.

Kay is hoping to play in the college season next year and has been working hard with her rehab.

“My nine-month out-of-surgery is June,” said Kay, who will study nursing at LaSalle.

College soccer practices usually begin sometime in early August.

“I am hoping that I’ll be strong enough and just fit enough to go and maybe take it a little slow in preseason, but get some time in games freshman year,” she said.

And if healthy, there is no doubt she will be a major addition for a La Salle team that will look to improve on last season’s 8-5-5 record.

Photo: Ireland Kay / Marc Narducci

Article continues below

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Author: Marc Narducci

On The Mend

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