STATESBORO - Georgia Southern women's soccer senior Larsyn Reid suffered a season-ending injury during the first regular season game against UAB in the 2023 season. After sharing the challenges of her recovery, the Eagles midfielder is set on finishing her senior season strong.
 
The midfielder from Flowery Branch, Ga., grew up playing a variety of sports and began playing soccer at only four years old. Reid ran cross country for two seasons in high school before transferring her time fully to soccer. "I just loved the team aspect [of soccer] and how it was all of us trying to do one thing together," said Reid.
 
"I knew I wanted to come to Georgia Southern after my first visit," shared Reid. "I hadn't been on a visit where I clicked with the girls like I did when I visited Georgia Southern," said the Eagles senior.
 
Since joining the Eagles as a freshman in 2021, Reid feels like their team has only gotten closer. "Those girls are like my sisters; it's easy to talk to one another and have good chemistry on the field because we are all going through the same thing," said Reid.
 
The bond and chemistry between Reid and her team shows on the field. "It helps us to be able to understand each player on the field and know what they need to hear to motivate them to keep going," said Reid.
 
 
Reid gave her teammates credit for supporting her throughout her recovery. "This is one of the closest teams I've ever been on," said Reid. "The encouragement from my teammates is what kept me going," said Reid.
 
Reid shared how difficult her recovery was this past year. "It was a wakeup call because the most I've done is break my thumb, so learning my new normal was very hard," said the senior midfielder. The senior Eagles forward-facing mentality and teammate support motivated her throughout her recovery.
 
With the reality that her junior season was over just as it had started, Reid kept herself focused on the small victories. "My first day walking or being able to unlock the brace or going down to one crutch. It was taking those small victories that eventually led to big victories is what kept me going," shared Reid.
 
 
"My injury taught me a lot and made me more thankful for the sport than I had been. I realized you never know when it's going to be your last game or practice," said Reid. "It's been hard, coming back from an injury, to get fully back to where I was. With the little time we do have left, one of my goals is to work hard to get back to that point," said Reid.