Wake Forest Athletics
Deacon Sports Xtra: Smart Overcoming Injuries Leads to Breakout Senior Year
2/8/2022 1:43:00 PM | Women's Soccer, Les Johns
“Every minute I get to play, every game I get to start and every goal I get to score — I cherish it even more because of my past injuries and not being able to play my first two years,” Shayla Smart said.
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WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – Shayla Smart arrived at Wake Forest in 2018 as one of the top women's soccer recruits out of the state of Florida. She had competed on the Jamaica National U-17 and U-20 teams which competed in World Cup Qualifiers, and finished her high school career with 68 goals and 52 assists while claiming state championships, MVP honors and player of the year awards.
She missed her entire freshman season with a knee injury that initially wasn't considered season-ending. Then two games into the 2019 season, she tore her ACL. After considerable rehab under difficult circumstances, her junior year was altered significantly as the collegiate soccer world adjusted to changes because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
"My time here at Wake Forest hasn't been the smoothest," Smart admitted. "I had pretty major knee injuries both my freshman and sophomore seasons. It was really difficult to come to the school and not be able to play the first two years. But to be able to rehab here, get better and be an impact player is really special, especially with this being my last year."
The last three years put Smart's resolve to the test.
"When it happened, I was told it wouldn't be a season-ending injury, but it ended up putting me out for a long time," she said about her first knee injury. "So it ended up being my entire freshman year. Then in my sophomore year, I tore my ACL. That put me out, then Covid hit. It interrupted my rehab when I had to go back home. I don't really know how I made it to be honest — just a lot of self discipline and staying positive."
Having seen both sides of the equation, Smart believes the combination of practice and classwork is easier to navigate than rehab.
"Being injured is the part of sports you don't see, but it's much harder than being at practice," she said. "I had study hall, class and rehab. Balancing all those things was really difficult, and it has probably helped my time management skills now."
"After getting hurt two years in a row, you question if your body is even able to do what it was doing when you were recruited. For me, I just had to take it one step at a time, focus on my recovery and strength training."
Getting sent back home last March when the Covid-19 pandemic first affected life here in the United States set Smart back on her rehab efforts.
"When I went home, nothing was open," she said. "I was in Florida, where the Covid rates were high. I was sent exercises to do, which gave me something to do during quarantine. I was finally able to get to a rehab clinic back home. I was surrounded by older adults, because it was like a physical therapy facility. I just pushed myself to get ready for my junior season."
Wake Forest coach Tony da Luz is proud of how Smart has responded to adversity.
"A lot of athletes would have given up," he said. "She's not that kind of character. She's a strong, mature athlete. She's really grateful for the opportunity she's had here and she shows it everyday."
Her perseverance is paying major dividends, both for herself and the Demon Deacons. She finished the season leading the team in points (25), goals (11) and game winners (6), while finishing seventh in the ACC as she led the Demon Deacons to a 16-6 record.
"She's had a knack for scoring this year. I'm really happy for her."
She credits her teammates for her breakout season. The Deacs began the season with eight-straight shutouts and have 12 on the season. They made their first NCAA tournament appearance since 2018.
"It's been great to be surrounded by so many great players. It's forced me to bring my A-game to every game and every practice we have. We all just keep each other from being complacent, and that's making us all better soccer players."
Contributing in such a major way to a successful season is even more special for Smart considering the path she's had to travel.
"Every minute I get to play, every game I get to start and every goal I get to score — I cherish it even more because of my past injuries and not being able to play my first two years," she said.
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – Shayla Smart arrived at Wake Forest in 2018 as one of the top women's soccer recruits out of the state of Florida. She had competed on the Jamaica National U-17 and U-20 teams which competed in World Cup Qualifiers, and finished her high school career with 68 goals and 52 assists while claiming state championships, MVP honors and player of the year awards.
She missed her entire freshman season with a knee injury that initially wasn't considered season-ending. Then two games into the 2019 season, she tore her ACL. After considerable rehab under difficult circumstances, her junior year was altered significantly as the collegiate soccer world adjusted to changes because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
"My time here at Wake Forest hasn't been the smoothest," Smart admitted. "I had pretty major knee injuries both my freshman and sophomore seasons. It was really difficult to come to the school and not be able to play the first two years. But to be able to rehab here, get better and be an impact player is really special, especially with this being my last year."
The last three years put Smart's resolve to the test.
"When it happened, I was told it wouldn't be a season-ending injury, but it ended up putting me out for a long time," she said about her first knee injury. "So it ended up being my entire freshman year. Then in my sophomore year, I tore my ACL. That put me out, then Covid hit. It interrupted my rehab when I had to go back home. I don't really know how I made it to be honest — just a lot of self discipline and staying positive."
Having seen both sides of the equation, Smart believes the combination of practice and classwork is easier to navigate than rehab.
"Being injured is the part of sports you don't see, but it's much harder than being at practice," she said. "I had study hall, class and rehab. Balancing all those things was really difficult, and it has probably helped my time management skills now."
"After getting hurt two years in a row, you question if your body is even able to do what it was doing when you were recruited. For me, I just had to take it one step at a time, focus on my recovery and strength training."
Getting sent back home last March when the Covid-19 pandemic first affected life here in the United States set Smart back on her rehab efforts.
"When I went home, nothing was open," she said. "I was in Florida, where the Covid rates were high. I was sent exercises to do, which gave me something to do during quarantine. I was finally able to get to a rehab clinic back home. I was surrounded by older adults, because it was like a physical therapy facility. I just pushed myself to get ready for my junior season."
Wake Forest coach Tony da Luz is proud of how Smart has responded to adversity.
"A lot of athletes would have given up," he said. "She's not that kind of character. She's a strong, mature athlete. She's really grateful for the opportunity she's had here and she shows it everyday."
Her perseverance is paying major dividends, both for herself and the Demon Deacons. She finished the season leading the team in points (25), goals (11) and game winners (6), while finishing seventh in the ACC as she led the Demon Deacons to a 16-6 record.
"She's had a knack for scoring this year. I'm really happy for her."
She credits her teammates for her breakout season. The Deacs began the season with eight-straight shutouts and have 12 on the season. They made their first NCAA tournament appearance since 2018.
"It's been great to be surrounded by so many great players. It's forced me to bring my A-game to every game and every practice we have. We all just keep each other from being complacent, and that's making us all better soccer players."
Contributing in such a major way to a successful season is even more special for Smart considering the path she's had to travel.
"Every minute I get to play, every game I get to start and every goal I get to score — I cherish it even more because of my past injuries and not being able to play my first two years," she said.
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