WESTFIELD — Talia Whitesel was cleared to return within five months of tearing her ACL in May 2022, but it wasn't the physical challenges that nearly derailed her recovery. It was the mental components.

The Westfield senior forward/midfielder didn't have many people who understood what she was going through. They kept telling her she was going to be fine, but it never actually felt that way through the early stages of recovery, as she grinded through daily four-hour physical therapy sessions.

"It was really bad," said Whitesel, a Miami of Ohio commit. "All the time it was like, 'Why am I even doing this? I should give up.'"

Those doubts pervaded her mind, but after grinding through that process — and taking a sports psychology class — she wants to help ensure other athletes avoid those pitfalls, and has adopted a healthier mindset for herself as she recovers from a second ACL tear.

Yes, a second ACL tear.

The team captain lives and breathes Westfield soccer, and overcame a major knee injury the summer before her junior year to secure a scholarship offer from Miami and return for the start of her senior season.

That's why what happened last week vs. Hamilton Southeastern was especially unfair.

The 5-9 senior had chased down a ball late in the second half and planted her foot when an opposing player crashed into her right knee, knocking it outwards. Whitesel heard a pop. A few nearby teammates heard it, too. And she felt a familiar pain.

Whitesel knew immediately. She had torn her ACL. Again. Same injury, different knee.

I can't do this again, she told her parents after the game.

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"It's devastating because Talia just got back," Westfield coach Hannah Eggert said. "You hate that she has to go through that recovery process again right after coming back, but we know she's going to go off to Miami and do awesome. That's the ultimate goal and that's what I told her after she found out."

Whitesel has overcome the initial shock and disappointment of her season-ending injury, and is doing her best to "stay positive with everything."

"It's more how your brain works, not just how hard you work," Whitesel said following last Saturday's 1-1 draw with Brebeuf Jesuit. "The brain plays an important role than most realize, and I learned (during that class) that I need to help other people whenever they're going through it, to check in on them, because people don't really realize how hard it is on your brain. It's a mental toll."

Whitesel has taken advantage of the opportunity to help her fellow athletes, making herself available to those recovering from long-term injuries.

When sophomore teammate Lola Hortsman tore her ACL three months ago, Whitesel reached out immediately, letting her know she was available to answer any questions she may have and preparing her for the mental hurdles she'll have to overcome.

Whitesel has also been in touch with former club teammate and Valparaiso freshman Tatum Coleman, who was nearing a return from a knee injury when Whitesel suffered her second knee injury. Confidence is critical, so Whitesel texted the Hamilton Southeastern grad to reassure her that everything was OK. Yes it was the same injury, but the circumstances were entirely different. "It's a mental thing," she said.

"It's not just about how you recover," continued Whitesel, who's considering a career in psychology, working specifically with recovering athletes. "I think people should get therapy for it and actually work on how their brain works, because that's the only way you're going to be able to get back fully."

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For her part, Whitesel's injury provided an unfortunate end to a glamorous career.

Eggert recalled an eighth-grade Whitesel telling her how excited she was to step in and build a legacy with Westfield soccer, and the Division I recruit has certainly fulfilled that promise. She garnered all-conference honors as a freshman and sophomore with nine goals and six assists, and had four goals and four assists through 10 games in 2023. Her contributions this year included both goals in a win over Plainfield and the equalizer vs. No. 9 Cathedral, and she was critical to the No. 5 Shamrocks' unbeaten start (6-0-4).

Upon learning of the 2024 recruit's second injury, Miami coach Courtney Sirmans contacted Whitesel to let her know it was OK. Sirmans had torn her ACL three times over the course of her career, and the RedHawks had no intentions of pulling Whitesel's scholarship.

That trust was the main reason Whitesel committed in December, she said. Their coaches never worried about her knee. They just wanted to see her be herself before offering her a scholarship following her first showcase event post-surgery.

"I realized the first time all I thought about was 'I don't want to do that' and 'This hurts,'" Whitesell said. "I'm trying to remind myself of all the positives, because that's the only way you can get through this."

In the more immediate future, Whitesel is focused on helping her high school team however she can, with Westfield searching for its third sectional championship in program history and first since 2007.

"We're just really proud of her," Eggert said. "It's not the way we wanted her season to end, but we know she's got a bright future ahead."

Follow Brian Haenchen on Twitter at @Brian_Haenchen.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indiana girls soccer: Westfield senior Talia Whitesel tears ACL again