Imagine playing soccer your entire life, receiving a scholarship for a Division I soccer program. Everything is going well—you’ve trained with your teammates and are preparing for your first collegiate season.
Then it abruptly ends when you tear your ACL for the second time, and your dream is in jeopardy. This is Arion Ulaj’s reality, a sophomore midfielder for Marist men’s soccer.
Ulaj, from Warren, New Jersey, had an incredible season this past fall with three goals and five assists. However, getting to that point required immense effort and a daunting recovery process.
“This is the second time I’ve torn this ACL, so it was even harder than the first because this time I also tore a bit of my meniscus too,” said Ulaj. Ulaj sustained this injury during the first week of the season—when many freshmen get most of their opportunities, as coaches experiment with new ideas while planning their starting lineup.
“I was just sad. I wasn’t able to do anything that I wanted. All my teammates were out there playing,” said Ulaj. “I had just come to college, and then, just like that, my season ended.
In August 2023, Arion was told he could not step onto the field for at least a year. He could not participate in spring or summer league games because of the lengthy recovery process required to return from a major knee injury. “It was really tough, especially because I couldn’t do the thing I love,” Arion said.
Ulaj had another obstacle heading into this season; where he would fit in a competitive Marist roster, led by head coach Matt Viggiano.
“20 minutes, 10 minutes, so I was still trying to find my way,” said Ulaj. “Once I started, getting my confidence back, I felt like I was able to break through into the first team,” said Ulaj.
Many athletes heading into a season post-injury are unsure of their ability to face a make-or-break situation. One can return to full form and be back like they never missed time or struggle to overcome the lost time and not be the same player.
However, it was a slow start, “ I didn’t play for a year, so I looked like I didn’t even know how to play for the first month,” said Ulaj. Fortunately, for this Red Fox, it was only a matter of time before his year of recovery and everything he worked for paid off.
Within a month and a half, Marist’s new number eight was back in full form. He had his first start in a match against #19 ranked Fordham, where he delivered an exceptional performance with an assist in the 2-1 win over the Rams.
Marist defeated a team that, on paper, had every reason to win but did not prevail once the final whistle rang out at Tenney Stadium.
“It was crazy because that was exactly a year after I had my surgery too, in September,” Ulaj said. The full circle moment jumpstarted Ulaj’s season.
This marked the beginning of major minutes for Ulaj, who played every minute in another Marist win, this time over LIU. Despite the extreme turnaround for Ulaj, he had yet to find a goal until the Red Foxes faced Niagara University on October 30th.
“I feel like it kind of just showed off all the work I was giving the entire season, and I felt like I was finally able to feel a little free after scoring that goal,” Ulaj said. The sophomore scored again in his next game against Rider University, helping Marist clinch a MAAC playoff spot.
To begin Marist’s playoffs their first obstacle was no. 4 seeded Quinnipiac. Two evenly matched teams in the quarterfinal enhanced the pressure for the Red Foxes and Ulaj. Within 17 minutes in the first half, Ulaj hit the back of the net to make the game 1-0. Marist went on to win this game 2-1, moving on to the semifinals.
Marist and Ulaj’s season ended in a 3-1 loss to top-seeded Iona. The motivation and drive from Ulaj over the course of the season revealed the type of person he is. He finished first on the team in assists and second in points across 18 games starting 13.
Ulaj’s next steps in the offseason are to play with Marist in the spring and summer, go to Albania, where his family is from, and train there with coaches and professionals. After that, he will return to Warren, New Jersey, to play for his hometown team and get more training before his junior year season starts.
“My goal for next year is to come in fully healthy and start playing a lot more 90-minute games and also I probably want to just score a lot more goals,” said Ulaj.
Ulaj has not let his injury define him and is a key piece in Marist’s squad moving forward. He serves as a reminder to others that when one is knocked down, all you can do is get up.
Edited by Marley Pope
Graphic by Quinn DiFiore; Photos from Marist Athletics
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