Sept. 17, 2009

No matter how hard an athlete trains or prepares, injuries are unfortunately part of the game. In 2007, men's soccer student-athlete Adam Gazda fell victim to a sudden injury that put him on the sidelines for the first time in his athletic career.

Coming off a sophomore season where he was named to the first team All-Patriot League, Gazda was playing with the Reading Rage of the Premier Developmental League in a summer league. After seven games with the Rage, Gazda started to feel pain in his right foot and that pain would soon lead to news that no athlete wants to hear. He was diagnosed with a Jones fracture, which is a stress fracture of the fifth metatarsal in the foot.

After taking the rest of the summer off to heal his stress fracture, Gazda was hoping to be ready to go for the 2007 season, but the injury was too much to play through.

"I tried to come back and play in our third game," Gazda said. "After warming up I knew it wasn't fully healed and I decided to end my season."

The Mountain Hawk midfielder was granted a medical hardship by the Patriot League that would allow him to still have two years of athletic eligibility left. Even with the good news, Gazda still struggled to watch the team from the sidelines.

"I've never really sat out before. I've always played a significant amount of time at any level of soccer I have been at," Gazda said. "It was the hardest thing athletically I have ever had to deal with."

With the help of the coaching staff and his teammates, Gazda would eventually make the best out of his injury. He was able to turn a negative into a positive by looking at the game from a different approach.

"I was able to see the game from a coach's perspective," Gazda said. "It helped me get to know my teammates better and I think it benefited me in the long run."

"We tried to provide him with the right support and understanding of how he could still contribute to the team when he was injured," men's head soccer coach Dean Koski added. "After that he realized he could almost be an assistant coach, helping the team out in several different aspects."

Gazda was determined to get back onto the pitch with his teammates as quick as possible. But as he would soon learn this would not be that easy.

"When I first started training again I was nervous," Gazda said. "Obviously I didn't want it to happen again, so I would worry about the shoes I was wearing and even the surface we were running on."

By the time the spring season was in full swing Gazda was back in action with his teammates and his foot was feeling fine. He went on to play with the Rage that summer and earned an All-Conference selection, while preparing himself for the 2008 season.

After knocking off a little bit of rust, Gazda came back stronger than ever in 2008. He would go on to lead the Mountain Hawks in goals and earned All-League recognition, as well as, being named to the second team All-Mid Atlantic Region. Now as fifth-year senior, he is the unquestioned leader for the Mountain Hawks.

"Adam is a classic lead by example person," Koski said. "He competes better than anyone I know. Over the last few years he has also become a vocal leader. He speaks up when he sees something and he will address the team without coach intervention."

A certain injury can affect an athlete for their entire career, but it is clear that isn't the case for Adam Gazda. His hard work and determination for the last five years will leave a lasting impression on the men's soccer program.

"Adam is the kind of player that loves to compete no matter what the situation is and that can have a powerful influence on any team," Koski said. "He is the type of player whose passion is very evident and he never takes a day off."

But for Gazda, who dreams of playing professional soccer after Lehigh, there is still unfinished business to take care of in his final season for the Brown and White.

"Just making the Patriot League Tournament isn't good enough," Gazda said. "I want to leave with a league championship."