Maryland women’s soccer star forward Alyssa Poarch ruled out for remainder of season

Forward Alyssa Poarch has been ruled out for the remainder of the season with a knee injury, Maryland head coach Ray Leone confirmed on a media call Tuesday.

“She is not going to be back, it’s heartbreaking,” Leone said. “That’s it for her. So it really was a big blow. I didn’t want to say anything because I wasn’t 1,000% sure, but now that it is, it’s just heartbreaking for not just our team, but it’s really just for Alyssa.”

In four games this season, the graduate student put up two goals and two assists, both of which were tied for the team lead. Poarch recorded two goals and an assist in the first two games of the season, but did not play the next seven games with an injury to her other knee, which Leone also confirmed Tuesday.

Poarch returned for a Sept. 23 home conference game against Nebraska, and she instantly elevated the offense. The Middletown, Delaware, native recorded one assist against Northwestern on Sept. 26 before exiting in the 78th minute.

“She worked hard, she rehabbed one knee, you know, and then all the sudden just a fluky, you know, no foul, no nothing, just an unlucky land and then you’re hurting the other knee,” Leone said.

If this marks the end of Poarch’s Maryland career, she finishes with 45 games started, 14 goals, eight assists and nearly 4,000 minutes played. Poarch had a decorated four years, earning Second Team All-Big Ten and Third Team All-North Region honors in 2019.

“I feel for her,” Leone said. “She’s handling it with real grace, still supporting and bringing it. You know her personality, which is a big personality on our team, to every practice and every game and we appreciate that.”