After recovering from a torn ACL, only to then tear her meniscus, fans may wonder if Paige Adams ever thought about not returning to the soccer field.
If you ask her, her response may include belting out the words of singer Gloria Gaynor, “Did you think I’d crumble? Did you think I’d lay down and die? Oh, no, not I – I will survive.”
“I do love to sing, I am just terrible at it,” Adams said with a grin on her face. “Actually the other night I was singing [Gaynor’s] ‘I Will Survive.’ I like that one.”
Not only did the redshirt junior survive, but she has exceeded all expectations for the Wisconsin women’s soccer team this season. Adams leads the Badgers (7-3-0, 1-2-0 Big Ten) in points this season with 10 and also sits atop the list of UW’s scorers with four goals.
Although Wisconsin suffered a rough 3-0 loss to Michigan Sunday, Adams was able to step back and see a more optimistic picture: Her team still boasts the potential to contend for the Big Ten title this year.
Head coach Paula Wilkins admires the attitude and effort she sees in Adams each day and believes it is a big reason she is finding success on the field.
“Her work rate and knowledge of the game are very special,” Wilkins said. “I think that makes her a bit different.”
Not your typical speedy forward, Adams’ talent lies in her ball skills and her keen ability to find holes in the opponent’s defensive line. So far this season, she has started every game with her counterpart at forward, sophomore Cara Walls.
Adams’ eye for the game combined with Walls’ natural speed and athleticism have proven to be an effective force this season for Wisconsin. The duo owns seven of the 21 goals scored by UW this season.
“In the spring, I think we got a good opportunity to start playing together. We kind of complement each other – she is faster and I am good at sending balls through,” Adams said. “We are able to connect the ball together, and I get behind defenders and have just got some goals.”
Back in 2009 during her freshman season, Adams started 14 games and, despite missing eight games with an injury, she finished second on the team with nine points.
Her career as a Badger then took a turn for the worse.
In what would have been her sophomore season, Adams spent 2010 in physical therapy recovering from the ACL injury. The recovery process grew even longer when Adams re-injured her knee, needing additional surgery to repair a torn meniscus.
Last season, Adams returned to the field playing 14 of the team’s 20 games and working her way back into the lineup as her knee continued to heal. With her injuries now in the past, Adams says she is back to 100 percent.
“I love soccer too much to ever think about [not returning]. It was tough, but I am back,” Adams said. “It has been a long road, but I am finally feeling healthy, and it has been a good season so far.”
Now taking on a leadership role as one of the upperclassmen, Adams serves as an example to all her teammates about what it truly means to work hard, Wilkins says.
“I think she leads by her work rate, that is a big thing, she is always available,” Wilkins said. “She is someone you want to play with, she’s committed.”
A British Columbia native from Port Coquitlam, Adams found earlier success before stepping on the field as a Badger. Prior to attending UW, she represented her home country in the 2006 U-20 World Championships in Russia.
Adams came to the Badger program in the spring of 2008 after competing with the U-20 Canadian National Team at the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football championship games.
Much like her four other Canadian teammates, she was drawn to the supportive and lively atmosphere on campus that surrounds the women’s soccer program.
“It is a beautiful school for one, and the people [are great]. The setting here is just awesome, and the soccer program is good,” Adams said. “It has been a lot of fun so far.”
Adams’ commitment to soccer is mirrored by a commitment to her education. She’s been named academic all-Big Ten each of the last two years, and in her time as a Badger, has discovered an interest in interior design that is now her intended major.
Though unsure of where she will find herself in the years to come, it is likely she’ll never be too far from a soccer field.
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