It’s Oct. 28, 2023. The American University Eagles are visiting Boston University for a Patriot League field hockey contest, their final game of the regular season. In the third quarter, the Eagles lead 1-0, and looking to extend that lead, freshman midfielder Emilia Winkler dishes the ball to her teammate at the goalpost. Her teammate taps the ball past the goalkeeper and the Eagles are up 2-0. Immediately, the team swarms the goalscorer, jumping and cheering.
“On the field she was basically almost in a dog pile, I swear, and then off the field, we were just, I mean, going berserk on the sidelines,” associate head coach Kristin Matula said.
The celebration would be a bit much for a regular goal, but it was the first goal of junior midfielder Kaleigh Missimer’s career. Missimer scored 71 goals in her high school career — her ability was never in doubt. However, in high school, she tore her ACL and couldn’t play her freshman season at American as she rehabilitated. In the spring of that year, she tore the same ACL again in practice, causing her to miss her sophomore season as well.
“It’s always a special moment for anybody who gets their first career goal. But I think for her with what she had been through, it was 10 times the normal first career goal,” Matula said. “It was the biggest relief, but also, just such an amazing moment for her, seeing the look on her face after she did it, it was almost like she was in disbelief herself.”
Missimer might have been in disbelief then, but shouldn’t be anymore. She scored 4 goals this season, including two in a 3-2 win over Colgate University. Her goal total is good for third-best on the team. Five career goals and a role in multiple Patriot League titles for someone who doubted whether she’d be healthy enough to play the sport again.
“She is resilient and strong, and it's amazing how if she couldn’t be on the field playing, she would cheer off the field for her teammates and help out coaching. And that just made my heart happy. She never gave up on playing, cheering,” Missimer’s mom Karen said.
American played their last regular season home games Oct. 25 and 27, and Missimer had a village in attendance: her mom, dad, brother, aunt, grandparents, friends and, most importantly, her dog Bobo.
“I think my favorite surprise was my dog. He came all the way from Michigan. He’s probably my favorite thing ever. And just having them here means so much, being able to play for them is great,” Missimer said.
Her mom Karen has been to most of the games this year, usually flying in from Michigan. But this weekend she made the nine and a half hour drive so that Missimer’s “COVID puppy,” Bobo, could be in attendance for her senior day game.
When asked about her injuries, Missimer’s coaches and family didn’t say a single negative word. They all praised her resilience, perseverance and joy. In her two seasons on the sideline, she was still a full member of the team, hitting balls on the field before practices or coaching teammates during practices. She’s made the most of her four years, and will earn three degrees from American: a bachelor’s in environmental science, another in public health and a master’s in environmental science.
And she still might not be done — due to her two seasons away with injury, she has two more years of NCAA eligibility. She needs yet another surgery after this season, which might delay her grad-student return, but that’s not going to stop her.
“If all goes well, that's out there. But if not, once again, I'll just be here for the team and be the biggest supporter I can,” Missimer said.
Quitting the sport altogether was never in question for Missimer. Her health could have prevented her from seeing game action, but she was never going to leave the team as a whole, and the team is better for it. Head coach Steve Jennings, who’s been at the helm of AU field hockey for 26 years, credits Missimer as “one of the secrets to our success.”
As she was back on the field in American’s Patriot League championship chase, she represented more than herself.
“And at this time of year we might have some injuries and people who might not be able to go on the field at certain times, and so I feel like I can play for them at some points,” Missimer said.
Playing 38 minutes over the Oct. 25 and 27 games, running around the field in her knee brace, Missimer can be seen with a smile on her face. The energy from her and her village is infectious as her family loudly cheers for her, with her brother in an American flag onesie and her parents wearing shirts bearing her number. Even Bobo is in on the fun as little kids play with him.
“She plays the game like she’s playing a kid’s game, and I think [Division I] athletics is great because it’s super competitive and tough and extremely hard, but she always makes it look and seem like she's still a kid running around out there playing,” Jennings said.
This article was edited by Connor Sturniolo, Delaney Hoke and Abigail Turner. Copy editing done by Luna Jinks, Ella Rousseau, Sabine Kanter-Huchting, Nicole Kariuki, Charlie Mennuti and Emma Brown.
