A stellar 2017 season has come to a halt for young sensation Rose Lavelle. The Boston Breakers announced Thursday that she will be out four to six weeks due to a strained left hamstring. She picked up the injury during the USWNT’s recent trip overseas to take on Norway. Earlier in that trip, Lavelle scored the USA's only goal in a 1-0 victory against Sweden.
Since the start of the year, Rose has been selected as the number one overall pick in the 2017 NWSL draft, picked up the NWSL Player of the Month award and debuted for the national team (six appearances to date).
The injury will be difficult for the Breakers who will travel to Cary, NC to take on the first place NC Courage this weekend. Boston sits in 8th place on eight points, and five out of the playoff positions.
Having never qualified for the NWSL playoffs, Boston started the year strong with Rose leading the way. The club started off the campaign well, picking up eight points in six matches, but have fallen off since then. With Rose out, and their next two games a home-and-away series with the Courage, the Breakers could find themselves in last place by the time she returns.
For the national team, the injury means that Lavelle will most likely miss out on the 2017 Tournament of Nations. The friendly competition is being hosted by the US and features Australia, Brazil and Japan from late July to early August. Rose may be back to training with the Breakers by then, but pushing her into national team duty is unlikely.
Last night however, Rose’s spirits were high as she was back in her hometown of Cincinnati to watch FC Cincinnati of the USL upset the Columbus Crew in the U.S. Open Cup. The Breakers, USWNT, and fans will be hoping for a speedy recovery for Lavelle.