Story by Rusty Ellis
Photo by Kailee Dick
“She can be one of the best to ever put on a Lady Wildcat uniform…she’s definitely up there with the top five to ten players we’ve had.”
That was what Livingston Academy head soccer coach David Sadler had to say about senior Lilly Copeland prior to the start of the season. It was a fairly accurate overview of her career in Overton County to this point, as she’d been a contributing member of the LA girls soccer team ever since she stepped on campus.
This included moments during her sophomore year such as her game-winning goal against McMinn Central to send the Lady Wildcats to state. It didn’t end there either, as she scored another game-winning goal in the team’s 2-1 win over Dyersburg to advance to the state semifinals.
Last season as a junior, she was yet again a key part of LA’s run to the District 6AA Championship, where the Lady Wildcats won 2-1 over Cumberland County.
Things were looking up for the soon-to-be senior, as this season was going to be her best one yet.
Until during a practice in late July, she felt a pop in her knee during a practice. At first, the diagnosis was a bone bruise, but an MRI later revealed a tear.
And just like that, her season was over.
“It’s a heartbreaking injury,” Sadler said on August 10.
That’s all there was to say about it at that point. Copeland went on to have successful reconstruction surgery that morning and the road to rehabilitation began.
For many athletes, an injury like that can make or break them. It’s very easy for someone to see an estimated recovery time of 8-12 months and immediately hang their head or lose their motivation.
Not Copeland however, as she’s found a new role on the Lady Wildcats’ sideline as Sadler’s primary book keeper. If you ask him, she’s done much more than that.
“Lilly is more like an assistant coach to me at this point,” Sadler said. “She coaches her teammates up, and she sees things that we as coaches don’t always see…she’s been a really positive influence on all of her teammates.”
That’s what Copeland says she’s tried to do since her injury. She’s always been a source of positive energy on the field for her teammates, and she says she’s doubled down on that kind of energy on the sidelines.
“That first practice and first game was rough, but I’m learning to cope with it and I trust these girls with all my heart out there,” Copeland said. “I’m really proud of the work they’ve been putting in…it’s taught me to be patient, but I’m really proud of the strides they’ve made.”
That patience was tested when the Lady Wildcats came to Cookeville on Sept. 15, a game that ended in a 2-1 defeat for Livingston. It was their first loss of the season to that point, and while it was hard for her to sit on the sidelines, Copeland was proud of how her teammates battled.
“I wish we could be a whole game team, but I’m really proud of them,” Copeland said. “They’re playing really well together, and this was their toughest test of the season. It’s also a mind game because we know a lot of (Cookeville’s) girls, but I’m happy with how they played.”
Sadler said before the season that he would be leaning on Copeland more than ever before for leadership, and seeing how she’s responded to her injury just re-affirms to him that he was right to give her that responsibility.
“That’s what she was on the field, and that’s what she’s doing for us now,” Sadler said. “She does her physical therapy and then she comes to practice and coaches the girls up…even when she had the surgery, she was texting her sister (Ella Copeland) and was watching the livestream. Even though she’s hurt, she’s working hard to get back and be a part of that team, and that means a lot to us.”
As far as Copeland’s goals, Sadler says that right now, the focus is to get healthy in time for travel ball. For now, she’ll continue to be another coach on the sideline for a team that looks primed to make another deep run into the postseason.
“That attitude comes from being a good, seasoned player,” Copeland said. “She can instill that into the other players and can help us relate to them…she was just with them last year, and she understands that it can be taken away. Live and play every game like it’s your last, that’s what Lilly Copeland is teaching.”