Groom's Resilience

Photo courtesy of ISI Photos

By Rachel Gaylor

FC Kansas City went into Seattle Saturday night and earned a point in the second of back-to-back games against the Reign, but it’s Blues forward Shea Groom who, once again, showed why she has earned the reputation as one of the toughest players in the league.

In the fourth minute of the game, Groom stole the ball from Reign defender Lauren Barnes and started a breakaway. Barnes grabbed Groom’s arm and pulled her down to the ground. Barnes got a red card and Groom looked to be in obvious pain once again, but a few minutes later she came back out and played the whole 90 minutes.

This has become somewhat of a trend this season for Groom. In week two in the 69th minute against the Chicago Red Stars, Groom went for a ball against Red Stars defender Sam Johnson and took a blow to her ribs. She looked to be in obvious pain and was down for a couple minutes before she walked off on her own volition. However, she returned to the game not missing a beat.

It was later that she was found to have suffered a broken rib. She missed the next game against Sky Blue FC, but returned to action against the Orlando Pride. She wore a specialized cast to protect her ribs, but didn’t appear to show any signs that her injury was slowing her down.

Even through a scare against the Portland Thorns when midfielder Becca Moros collided with Groom in her side causing the third-year player to fall to the ground clutching her side, Groom returned to action.

While Groom has yet to find the back of the net this season, her toughness and resilience in the face of overwhelming obstacles and unbelievable pain prove that a small scoring drought is minute compared to what else she has faced this season. And if last night was any indication, she will fight her way through anything. 

Watch Shea and FC Kansas City all season long at Swope Soccer Village. Single game tickets are available to purchase here.