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11/15/2023 10:42 AMArguably one of the biggest comeback stories within the Southern Connecticut Conference for girls’ soccer this fall was the re-emergence of Rory Parri, who not only returned to the field as a leader for Hand, but she excelled on offense and gained great recognition within the league.
The Hand senior captain, midfielder and forward was first introduced into soccer via her father and the rest was history, as she never took on another sport. Following an ankle injury that kept her out of action for the 2022 campaign, Rory returned to the turf this year as a senior captain and led the team in scoring, producing 10 goals to go along with 10 assists as a midfielder and forward. This helped her notch All-SCC Team honors, and she additionally piloted the Tigers to a 10-4-2 regular season record, with berths to both the SCC and Class M State Tournaments.
“Even from my park and rec days, I loved the friendships gained from soccer. I love the time on and off the field with them, plus the support my coaches have provided,” says Rory. “After the injury, I did not know if I would play again. I also had to get over mental obstacles first, and the support from everyone helped me both mentally and physically. I learned a lot more from the sidelines last year. The coaches gave me the ability to become a third coach last year and support my teammates in a way they could not. Since I have been back on the field, I have taken every chance to work as hard as I can. No matter how big the obstacle is, I learned I can come back from it.”
When it comes to her methods to matriculate the ball into the back of the net, Rory makes sure to be present in the box at the top of the turf so she can slam it home and give the Tigers a tally.
“I like to play it out to the midfielders, and then have them cross it through to the box for me,” Rory says. “Our coaches have driven home the point to get the ball to the box and have someone there to finish it for a goal.”
Being a masterful technician of the sport aided Rory’s rapid recovery from the ankle setback. As far as regaining her speed and stamina, she was able to easily get back to her old pace–only further fueling her swagger and self-belief.
“My foot skills and technical abilities have helped me. Having worked so hard on my tactical abilities in the past, I was able to regain my abilities so quickly from the injury,” says Rory. “And then getting back into shape from the injury, it just gave me that much more motivation to come out stronger.”
Hand Head Coach Rob McConville exclaims that it has been remarkable to see the progress and work Rory put forth towards getting back onto the turf, though it comes as little shock given her unmatchable work ethic he has come to know over the years.
“Rory has worked extremely hard in the offseason to get herself back to her high level of play. No matter where she is on the field, other teams are always aware of her and typically double team her anytime she gets the ball. Despite that, she has been able to lead the team in goals this season,” says McConville. “She is an extremely hard worker who demands a lot of herself and her teammates. She brings a passion to each game that is rare among players. Her desire to compete and win whenever she takes the field is extraordinary. She has come in clutch on multiple occasions when we needed someone to rise to the occasion to be the deciding factor. She has continued to be the deciding factor in several contests this year, including her two-goal game against Guilford to start our season this year on her first game back from her injury. She is the type of player you never really replace, and her impact on the program has been tremendous.”
Rory and the Tigers were able to drive a smooth road away from the usual bumps that accompany a youthful bunch in her stead. She explains that as she departs the program, it is in a much better place for the road ahead.
“It was a true honor to be a captain, because we have such a young team, and it is usually hard to find chemistry on a young team,” says Rory. “But we clicked and it showed on the field with our success. Everything kind of fell into place, and I feel the future of the team is in good hands with the players we have.”
Battling back to being a full participant on the pitch just made Rory that much more grateful for every day with the sport that comes her way, while having the right mental fortitude to overcome any hurdle thrown in front of her. She concludes that the 2023 campaign was a microcosm of her career: it had peaks and valleys, but then they kept the faith on the way to a happy ending.
“I go to every practice and game with so much gratitude now and knowing that I cannot take anything for granted, because you never know what can happen. Another big lesson that I learned is to just deal with obstacles the best way you can,” says Rory. “We did really well this year. We started off the season really well. We were winning a bunch of games, and then we hit a little curve with some losses. But our coaches told us it was better to get it out of the way in the regular season, and I feel going through that losing streak really helped us.”