Prayer propels Lions’ Farrel

Sometimes just putting one foot in front of the other is an act of faith. Sometimes just walking along life’s path, let alone sprinting past defenders, takes more than one human being can muster.

Madison Farrel, a senior forward on the Vanguard University women’s soccer team, knows these truths better than most.

Farrel, who is once again a potent scorer for the No. 10-ranked Lions, knows that spiritual strength can sometimes compensate for physical deficiency; that one’s trust muscle can propel an athlete more powerfully than a bulging quadriceps.

So, when Vanguard (14-5-1) plays host to No. 21-ranked Columbia College (18-3) in the opening round of the NAIA Tournament on Saturday at 11 a.m., Farrel will turn yet again to prayer to summon what she believes to be more healing support than any knee brace could offer.

“I just pray,” said Farrel, who has played through a debilitating knee injury sustained in the season opener to help propel the Lions to their fourth straight NAIA Tournament appearance. “I have to pray before every single game. We pray as a team, which is great, but I have to pray personally as well. I pray at halftime. I pray during the game. I say, ‘God, I need you to be my knee right now. I need you to just allow it not to hurt, or allow me to push through the pain, or whatever.’ But literally [her Novocain] is just prayer.”

Farrel, formerly Madison Cody before getting married in March, led Vanguard with 15 goals and 11 assists as a junior to help the Lions finish 16-3-2 and earn All-Golden State Athletic Conference honors.

But the Santiago Canyon Community College transfer, who redshirted her first season at Vanguard due to a dislocated fibula sustained before the 2013 season, graduated last spring and considered leaving soccer behind to embrace the next phase of her life.

But her love for the game, as well as an abundance of encouragement from her teammates, friends and coaches, convinced her to return for her final season of eligibility, while pursuing a master’s degree in education.

The feel-good final season, however, took a hit in the season opener, when Farrel sustained significant damage to her right knee that will require surgery after the season concludes.

“I lost a chunk of my articular cartilage, which is basically the part that allows your knee to flex smoothly,” Farrel said. “The doctor said there aren’t enough cases with athletes to know whether it would get any worse if I played. So, he basically left it up to my pain tolerance.”

Farrel said she was initially at about 50% effectiveness the first several weeks after the injury. She was relegated to a reserve role and her production plummeted, as did her spirits.

“I was super frustrated and kind of discouraged when I first got hurt, because I was wondering what my role was and why God had put me back in this program, only for me to get hurt my first game. I just wanted to be able to play again and I didn’t care that it hurt a lot. I wanted to just suck it up and muscle through the pain. It hurts when I walk, or if I sit too long, and it hurts when I play. But, basically I’ve been playing through it. I think my speed [which set her apart last season] has been hindered, and I can’t go as long, because it will tighten up or kink.”

Farrel, who now estimates she is at 80% capacity, is in fact excelling through it. She has five goals in her last five games after producing just four goals her first 11 contests this season. Her nine goals are third-most on the team, as are her 22 points (two points for a goal and one for an assist).

“It’s really remarkable what she’s been able to play through,” Vanguard Coach Randy Dodge said. “She has been our best player the last five games.”

Farrel said her reliance on God and prayer has been foundational to her increasing success.

“As the season progressed, I just felt like God was encouraging me and teaching me perseverance,” Farrel said. “It was helping me learn about his strength and that I have to go to him every single day. I ask him every single morning to be my knee, because it’s just a bear right now.”

Still, Farrel said she may not fully understand for some time the lessons this experience will provide.

“I really don’t know what my purpose is in all this,” Farrel said. “But I’ve been tested a lot in trust, trusting God that is. I know there is a reason, even though I don’t know what it is. Sometimes I feel like I’m walking on this blind path. I’m walking because I know I’m supposed to walk and I know God is going to be faithful and he is going to provide. I’m not at the end yet. I just know I’m supposed to keep walking.”