Healthy Kaitlin Phenix good news for Montgomery Academy girls soccer pursuing fifth straight state title
Kaitlin Phenix couldn't help but think back to last season.
In the second round of the Class 4A-5A playoffs at UMS-Wright, Montgomery Academy girls soccer's leading scorer tore her right ACL. On Tuesday, Phenix took the field in the second round once again.
But she wasn't worried about what would happen if history repeated itself.
"We prepared ourselves pretty well," Phenix said. "I know my teammates. ... If anything were to go down, they'd have my back."
Everything went accordingly this time. Phenix scored a goal and assisted on another in a 3-0 win over St. Michael Catholic, sending the four-time defending state champion Eagles (15-2-1) through to the state quarterfinals, where they'll take on St. James this weekend (date and time TBD).
Now @KaitlinPhenix finds the net herself. Nifty footwork on a great individual goal to make it 2-0 @MA_Swoops right before the break. #alpreps pic.twitter.com/A8kx9W1yof
— Jacob Shames (@Jacob_Shames) May 3, 2022
When Phenix injured her knee, her first thought, right away, was: "I got to get back."
After a 10-month recovery, she's done just that. With 12 goals and 12 assists, the senior is second on the team in total points.
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"She's been a very good team player, linking up players, doing everything I ask of her," Montgomery Academy coach Tate Dean said. "... She's come up in big moments, scored goals, gotten assists and led the team."
Phenix didn't play club soccer during the fall, and, according to Dean, started slow this season as a result. She took her time getting back to peak fitness and wore a knee brace until recently.
But that struggle helped Phenix round out her game. After scoring 28 goals in 18 games last season, she's adjusted toward being a facilitator from the forward position. On the Eagles' first goal Tuesday, she held up the ball with her back to the defense before playing a through ball to Hayes Jenkins.
If Phenix was disappointed to not be playing as Montgomery Academy finished off its eighth title in 10 seasons, she hardly let it show. She pushed her surgery back so she could travel with the Eagles to Huntsville for the Final Four, cheering them on as they defeated St. John Paul II, 6-1, in the championship game.
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"It felt like I was out there with them," Phenix said. "Every goal they scored felt like I'd scored myself. Just being with my team made me feel like I wasn't injured."
In rating her own performance this season, Phenix credited her teammates. Throughout her recovery, they constantly checked on her progress and gave her encouragement. Players like Jenkins (13 goals), Sophia Cho (17 goals, 18 assists) and Virginia Meacham (10 goals, 11 assists) have made it so Phenix hasn't had to pressure herself to be at 100%.
"I do have my bad days where my knee is concerned," Phenix said. "But just knowing that my teammates are there for me, and I have people to fall back on and people to communicate with, helps a lot."
Jacob Shames can be reached by email at jshames@gannett.com, by phone at 334-201-9117 and on Twitter @Jacob_Shames.
This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: AHSAA girls soccer: Kaitlin Phenix healthy for Montgomery Academy
