AOW: Moul refuses to go unnoticed

It’s easy to overlook Doriana Moul, a 5-foot-2 forward on the Del Norte girls soccer team.

Opposing defenders do it all the time until she scores a goal or assists on a goal for the Nighthawks.

Then they notice.

When Moul, pronounced Mole, was sidelined in both her sophomore and junior years, her teammates missed her a lot.

Trying to kick the ball, Moul suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in her left knee in a game in the early stages of the 2013-14 season.

“Two girls hit my leg and I heard a loud pop,’’ said the senior. “Worst pain of my life.

“I’d never even heard of an ACL before that moment.’’

A year later, she took a step, turned and she heard that same pop in the same knee again.

“I found out the first surgery wasn’t done right,’’ Moul said. “That one really bothered me. I kept asking myself ‘Why me?’

“Every day of rehab is super painful. I don’t want to do that ever again.

“I kept imagining my end-goal and that got me through it. I love this sport too much to just give it up because rehab hurts.’’

Moul, who tore the meniscus ligament in her right knee before the ACL woes, is finally back in the Nighthawks’ lineup for senior year.

She’s leading the team with 10 goals and four assists as Del Norte, despite a 3-2 loss last week to San Marcos that snapped a six-game winning streak, still sits atop the Avocado East League with a 5-1 record to go with a 9-6-2 overall record.

In fact, Del Norte is the only team in the league with a winning overall record this year.

“She still has the drive to get to the goal,’’ Del Norte coach Gary Rossi said. “She’s not the kind of kid who tells you how good she is. She likes to lead by quiet example, but her drive is intense.

“She’s never asked for anything special because of the injuries. She just wants to play.’’

Moul gravitated to soccer as a means of escaping a bad neighborhood and a rugged family life that involved some physical abuse.

She found a sanctuary from her troubles and the ordinary stress of school.

“I’ve gotten a lot out of soccer,’’ said Moul, who plays travel ball with San Diego Surf. “Without it, I wouldn’t be the person I am today.

“The ACLs taught me I have to take better care of my body. It also taught me to put school ahead of soccer. I’m more balanced now than I was.

“I’m very happy with who I am and where I’m at, and that’s because of soccer.’’

Moul will continue her soccer career this fall at Florida State where she hopes to reconnect with a half brother who remained behind when the family left the Sunshine State for San Diego.

“The first three years here went so slow and now I’m just weeks from graduating,’’ Moul said. “Senior year has gone ridiculously fast. I barely remember freshman year and I thought freshman, sophomore and junior years took forever.’’

Moul hopes to continue confounding defenders at the collegiate level despite her lack of size around the goal.

“I think defenders overlook me because I’m so short,’’ she said. “Their faces change when I get them for a goal. That look on their face is, I think, hilarious.

“I love challenges. That’s why I tried basketball and cheerleading for a while. I need a push to satisfy that urge.’’

Like rehabilitating ACL injuries in back-to-back seasons.

Monahan is a freelance writer.