Micheal Del Genio
Regan Coxon, a former All-American soccer player, is on a path of personal redemption and soccer glory after recovering from a season-ending injury on the field early in the 2023 season.
On a crisp afternoon early this month, she was running up and down the field, passing smoothly for an assist and moving sharply as she headed a ball to the back of the opponent’s net for a goal.
She played strategically and methodically, passing the ball around defenders, moving her and her team up to prime offensive positions, and setting them up for success. Her game had changed, and her mentality had to adapt ever since her devastating ACL tear that set her on a path of recovery.
In the early days, she had struggled to pedal a stationary bike; Only becoming easy to do three weeks into her physical therapy.
“It was painful to do the little things that we take for granted in everyday life such as drive a car or shower,” she said.
In the third game of the 2023 season, Coxon had torn her ACL as she planted her foot wrong going for a ball. It was seven games into the 2024 season that she finally made her long-awaited debut after the long road to recovery.
Carlos Carrillo, Head Women’s Soccer Coach, admires Coxon’s dedication and resilience as he respects her strength and ability to persevere through a challenging injury.
“It takes a lot of mental strength, toughness, and commitment to recover from something like that,” he said. “I have a lot of respect for her and for what she had to go through with that type of injury.”
Hard work and humility have defined Coxon’s career both on the field and in the classroom since she arrived at Dominican in 2019. She was awarded the 2022 All-American, the 2021 First Team All-Region, the Academic All-Region, and the 2019 Third Team All-Region.
However, what was more important to her was her selection to the Academic All-American team on three different occasions.
“It’s greater to be recognized for my academics on top of doing athletics because of how hard it is to accomplish.”
She was one of 45 players selected to the 2022 All-American team, the only Dominican women’s soccer player to ever achieve the title.
“As a student athlete, Regan is special to this program because she was the first women’s soccer student athlete to be an All-American,” said Carrillo. “That’s tough to accomplish. What she has been able to do in our program and at Dominican is something that we’re all very proud of.”
Regan has earned a degree in biology and chemistry and is currently working on a master’s degree in healthcare management. She also hopes to attend the University of Nevada, Las Vegas for dental school.
In June 2022, she embarked on a pre-dental internship that allowed her to work at Coast General, Kenya’s second-biggest hospital, located in the city of Mombasa. While working, she shadowed different areas of the hospital.
“I’m really big on international traveling and I wanted to see if this is the kind of work I want to do,” she says.
While Regan is working towards her future, she’s also working on the soccer field. Her goal is to win the NACC tournament and earn a spot in the national tournament with hopes of winning it all on the way out.
“That excitement and thrill you get from winning is something I don’t think the younger players really understand until you get there,” she said. “You just chase it till you feel it again.”
mdelgenio@my.dom.edu
