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The following is an article from the October edition of The Maroon & White. The Maroon & White is the Monthly Sports Bulletin of the UMass Athletic Department. For subscription information, contact the UMass Athletic Development Office at (413) 545-4290.

by Pete Dietrich

Injuries in sports can happen at any time and in any situation.

Just ask UMass junior forward Seth Lilburn.

Lilburn, then a sophomore who had just established a UMass freshman record for assists in a single season the previous year, entered the 1998 season with high hopes for both himself and for his team. A year before, his team finished in a tie for third in the Atlantic 10, had won 11 games, and had secured a berth in the conference?s exclusive postseason tournament. On an individual level, he was second on the team in scoring and his future at UMass seemed bright.

Eight games into the schedule, in just the first conference match of the year, injury struck.

Seth Lilburn?s 1998 season was over.

In the match against Atlantic 10 rival Rhode Island at Totman Field, Lilburn broke a bone in the middle of his left foot while challenging for a ball. Lilburn had scored two goals and had no assists to his credit. He wasn?t going to tally any more, either.

Now it was over. Watching the remainder of the season from the bench was not going to be much fun. His ability to play the game he so passionately loved had vanished only temporarily, but to Lilburn, it seemed like an eternity.

?I was devastated,? said Lilburn. ?I think almost any athlete can relate. When you?re an athlete playing in college, your sport is half of your life. I love it. I want to play it. I wanted to do well and I wanted us as a team to do well. The fact that our team played poorly last year didn?t help.?

The Minutemen struggled to a ninth place finish in the Atlantic 10 and finished the campaign with a record of 4-12-2, only the second losing mark in eight seasons under current head coach Sam Koch (they did, however, win their last two games and three of their last four, including a victory at home over St. Bonaventure which knocked the Bonnies out of A-10 Tourney contention).

?It was hard to watch,? said Lilburn. ?We seemed to have a lot of chances to score and we didn?t. When I saw that, I thought that maybe if I was in there, I could put the ball in (the net). Would I have had better luck? I don?t know, but I wish I had the opportunity.

?I had a pretty depressing fall.?

Ten months later, Lilburn?s depression has changed to a new sense of hope.

?He had a tough practice his first day,? said UMass head coach Sam Koch. ?He has improved everyday since then, though. He is improving at a very high rate, a very steady rate. His work rate is high and so is his attitude. He?s almost back to the point where he was before he was injured.?

Lilburn?s comeback effort began long before August 16 - the day the Minutemen reported to training camp. He had been waiting for the moment to arrive all summer, playing in summer leagues back home in New Jersey.

?I played every night over the summer,? said Lilburn. ?And the coaches gave us a workout schedule to follow, so I had been keeping at it. I just love to play and I want to play to help us as a team reach our goals for the season - the A-10 Tournament title and an NCAA berth.?

While he sat out the August 28th Friendly?s Cup exhibition match against Wake Forest with a pulled hamstring, Lilburn completed the first step of his comeback on September 1, coming off the bench as a reserve in the season opener against New Hampshire.

?He is a big part of our team,? said Koch. ?He is a scoring threat every time he?s on the field. When he?s at the peak of his game, he only makes us better, He?s a guy other teams have to worry about.?

While the ultimate goal of Lilburn and his teammates is to win an Atlantic 10 title and secure an NCAA berth, the immediate goal is much simpler: get back into the everyday lineup and enjoy soccer, and the upcoming season as much as possible.

?I?m really looking forward to this season,? said Lilburn. ?Our freshmen came in in great shape. They?re the best group of freshmen that I?ve seen since I?ve been here, even better than my own class....We?re all determined not to let last year repeat itself. I want to do everything I can to be a part of our effort.?

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