Lana Alampi's recovery

Just in time for spring lacrosse to make its debut for the 2023 season, freshman Lana Alampi’s career took a turn for the worse as she suffered an ACL tear during a small-sided scrimmage. A year prior, Alampi started on the Liverpool girls varsity team as only an eighth grader and finished the season with 10 goals and 3 assists. After a season like that as an eighth grader, Alampi had become a staple in Liverpool's offense. An ACL tear for such a strong player was not exactly easy news for the Liverpool lacrosse program.

Back in January, Alampi was playing in a small-sided lacrosse scrimmage at the Binghamton lacrosse clinic when she went down in pain. Later when Alampi was checked out by a doctor, it was revealed that she suffered a non contact injury where her body was not strong enough to withstand the pressure that lacrosse put on her knee. A month after her injury occurred, Alampi entered the first stage towards recovery, ACL reconstruction surgery. 

After losing one of her starting attack players just prior to season, Coach Erin Anderson describes the situation as “anxiety inducing for everyone involved.” When asked what it was like losing a player to a season-ending injury, Anderson says, “when Lana tore her ACL last year and we knew she wouldn’t be able to help us on the field during our 2023 season, I decided she was going to be a player-assistant-coach, working primarily with our offensive players.” Anderson also described Alampi as “very wise beyond her years” and said she has an “incredibly high offensive IQ.” 

Although her surgery went well and she slowly began to get better, an injury like this was not easy to handle for a girl at such a young age which caused Alampi to fall into a bad state of depression. To help with her emotions, Alampi says “I was seeking help from a therapist and I would work out and go to physical therapy everyday to get stronger.” Seven months later, Alampi continues to strengthen herself by working out and seeing a physical therapist where she has seen tremendous improvement with her ACL. 

While entering the 2023-2024 school year where Alampi plans on returning to her spot on the Liverpool girls varsity lacrosse team, her fear still stands that it will happen again. “My plan is to come back and make up for all the missed time. Missing my freshman year was probably the worst of it all just because I lost that lust of being the youngest on the team and missed that opportunity” says Alampi. 

 One of Alampi’s teammates, fellow attackman, and closest friend, Junior Gianna Carbone describes Alampi as “a missing piece on the field” during the 2023 season. “Knowing that we have her back this season puts so much joy and faith into my heart because that piece on the field that was once missing, will finally be back. I can’t wait to see what she will bring back to the team this year.” Says Carbone when asked about Alampi’s return. 

The Liverpool girls lacrosse team is excited to have Alampi back on the field with them this season as they work towards their goal of winning the first sectional title in Liverpool girls lacrosse history with the help of the young superstar, Lana Alampi.