Overcoming the odds

There's a Nike commercial playing across the airwaves right now that describes collegiate field hockey as a sport for those who play not because they hope to appear on a box of Wheaties or in the headlines. As the commercial implies, there is neither a professional field hockey league nor a high level of notoriety. Players compete simply for the love of the game.

It's a script Sarah Doherty follows to the last line.

For a number of athletes, somewhere between little league and college, that simple and pure love for the game fades beneath the luster of fame and fortune. The thrill of scoring the winning goal or making the great save is nearly lost, replaced by the individualistic drive to turn ability into money and power.

But others never lose that desire to compete and just be out on the field. All that matters is being able to play, with little regard for the future or the risks involved.

Sarah Doherty spends every day battling pain in both knees for one reason, and one reason alone. She loves to play, loves to compete and can't imagine doing anything else.

The field hockey team's starting goalkeeper realizes the risks involved. She could step off the field one day with her legs permanently damaged. But Doherty has battled back for the past year-and-a-half to return to her role of defending Duke's cage, and she isn't about to call it quits.

"I love being out there," Doherty said. "There's nowhere else I'd rather be. It just feels so right. People wonder how you can love a sport so much, but I absolutely love it."

In the winter of 1995, there was little doubt that Doherty would be the Blue Devils' goalkeeper for the next three years. She had just finished serving as an understudy for the all-time Duke saves leader, Heather Moles. The Harwich, Mass. native, who was a three-time Cape Cod All-Star selection, was penciled in without a hesitation.

"After the first game I was in a lot of pain. I went back and saw the doctors here, and they did an MRI and found I was doing actual damage to my knee."

Doherty's '96 season ended abruptly. She took a medical redshirt, but that was the least of her worries. For an athlete expecting to be on the field, there's no greater disappointment than to be forced to watch from the sidelines.

"When I was not playing and not practicing with the team last year and not being out on the field with them, I realized just how much I love to be out there," Doherty said. "I totally took for granted that I could play, and play well.

"Last year was just really hard for me to get through. The team was really supportive and Tchou was really supportive."

Fortunately for the Blue Devils, freshman Brooke Fuller took the reins and allowed just over two goals a game in leading Duke to the NCAAs. But Doherty was forced to watch from the sidelines as her teammates enjoyed their greatest success in years.

Last offseason, there was great uncertainty as to whether or not Doherty would be able to return. Her left knee was the one hurt her freshman year, but the right knee became the greatest source of pain. Both knees are now almost completely devoid of cartilage. The risks of rehabbing last spring were obvious.

"Some of the people that I talk to, doctor-wise, are afraid that I'm going to have this pain the rest of my life," Doherty said. "And when I think about that, that's when I think about not doing it. But in another sense I would never not play because I would be so upset. I was so miserable last year not playing."

The rehab process was further complicated by the fact Doherty is unable to run. Instead, she has compensated through biking, swimming and light weightlifting. Doherty spent the past summer working with Duke's athletic trainers. All throughout, assistant coach Stacy Gilburg has helped Doherty in her recovery.

"It's been a totally different kind of rehab for Sarah," Gilburg said. "We've kind of made it a day-to-day thing. She just wants to play because of all she's been through. I think she just really enjoys playing field hockey."

In preseason this August, Doherty stepped on the field for only the third time in a year. The pressure was quickly turned on, however, when Fuller left the team before practice actually started, leaving Doherty as Duke's only goalie on the roster.

And yet, after such a long absence, the redshirt sophomore was unfazed.

"I was really excited because I was feeling better than I had felt in a long time," Doherty said. "Just the possibility of playing again was so real and so exciting."

Step by step, Doherty slowly worked her way back onto the field. She can't practice every day and may never be able to fully exert herself, but since the season started, she hasn't left a game for injury.

Thus far, seven games into the season, Doherty's knees have held up, and she has begun to regain her form. Being able to play every game is the key. On-field experience is particularly important, especially after not playing for a year.

"Every day's different for Sarah," head coach Liz Tchou said. "But when she starts playing, the adrenaline is so high that she doesn't feel anything. She's done a great job taking care of herself."

And now, the results are starting to show. Doherty's still not 100 percent but recently has shut out two opponents and held nationally-ranked Princeton, Temple and Wake Forest to one goal apiece.

"I think it's pretty amazing that she's been able to play against the caliber of teams we've been playing against, and to be as sharp as she's been," Tchou said. "Just playing on the field makes her so happy. Players go through injuries and you just try to keep your spirits up because it's really difficult not to be able to play.

"I think the team's been really supportive of her, making sure her spirits are up. They've gained even more respect for her because of what she's gone through."

Indeed, Doherty's play has continued to inspire her Duke teammates. She can't practice all the time and is unable to do such things as run wind sprints, but her teammates have stayed behind her throughout.

Junior Emily Ford, Doherty's teammate at Harwich H.S., came to Duke with Doherty in '95 and has seen her battle to stay out on the field. She calls it a testament to the players and the game itself.

"I think it says a lot about women athletes in general," Ford said. "All of us are out there every day just because we love it. Sarah's out there not working for a million dollar salary but just to play on the field. It's really something special. It's really amazing that it means that much to her.

"She's always been so competitive since high school so its been extremely hard. But we're so glad she can play. We feel lucky."

Luck has not been a constant companion for Doherty. She has battled pain, setbacks and advice from others to quit and yet still continues to endure. While some athletes look to college as a springboard for the pros, this Division I field hockey player only wants to play for another two or three years. After that, she'll step off the field and probably never return.

But for Sarah Doherty, it has all been worth it. She just wants to be out on the field, playing alongside her teammates.

"I feel like myself again when I'm out there," she said. "It just feels so natural for me to be in there. It feels good, and that's where I feel like I belong-out there in the game."