In 2018, Gorham High School (GHS) varsity soccer captain Andrew Rent earned All-American and Maine Class A Player of the Year honors, scoring 16 goals and adding nine assists. Rent is already committed to play soccer at Boston University and he looked forward to his senior year as one of Maine’s most talented players. One of his favorite memories in his high school career was helping his team get to the state championship game last year. Despite the loss, Rent said it was an amazing experience with some of his best friends. He had hoped to get there again.

Unfortunately for Rent, his soccer season was cut drastically short. The first game of the season against Cheverus ultimately became the senior’s last at GHS. Describing the situation Andrew said, “I had received a pass near the sideline and I had dribbled past one player, when another came over to win the ball, and as I knocked the ball past him, he prevented me from landing on my left leg, which would have been more natural given how I was running.” Rent said he then landed awkwardly, got his foot stuck, and felt his knee twist.

He knew something was wrong but he thought he could shake it off. Rent’s mother, Erin Cassidy, said, “Andrew was working through a sore hamstring from preseason at the time of the injury so my initial reaction was that he just tweaked that a bit. He had been working with the school trainer and I figured that he’d just need a little more time stretching and exercising.”

“It was clearly a hard tackle and indeed he went down hard but got up rather quickly,” said Jack Rent, Andrew’s father. “He was able to walk over to the trainer station and was standing and testing his knee and seemed banged up, but the severity of the injury was not immediately clear.” Andrew remained on the bench for the rest of the game; and after some swelling and icing that night, the family was hoping it was merely a knee sprain.

The next day, however, Coach King called Jack. After speaking with Andrew that morning, King expressed to him that Andrew seemed “scared.” He picked his son up from school and went straight to Orthopedic Associates for an MRI. It was a long weekend of waiting for Andrew and his family. “None of us realized the extent of the injury until we received the results of the MRI,” Cassidy said.

Before receiving the diagnosis, his mother shared that Andrew had a positive attitude about the injury. She said he knew he was in shape and thought he could work his way back before the end of the season. Mid-day Monday, however, they got the call that no one expected. Andrew had torn his ACL and he also had some damage to his lateral meniscus. “His mom and I waited until after school to break the news to him in person,” Jack said.

Andrew had to work through many feelings after hearing the news; sadness, anger and frustration to name a few. “I was just kind of shocked and disappointed. It was such a hard thing to swallow. Knowing I couldn’t help my team try and win this year, especially coming so close and putting so much time in, I really thought this was going to be the year for me,” he said.

Eventually Rent arrived at a place where he accepted his season was done. His focus now is on recovery and getting ready for his freshman year at BU. When he was first injured, Jack shared that Andrew was worried his commitment and scholarship to Boston University was in jeopardy. “Thankfully, I reached out to the coaching staff at BU earlier in the day and they assured me their commitment would not change and that Andrew has their full support,” he said. That brought some relief which was supported a few days later when the head coach called Andrew to check in and reiterate Boston University’s commitment to him.

Andrew has a slow road to recovery ahead. His surgery was September 26. He will endure several months of physical therapy in order to be ready to hit the field next year. “He no doubt will attack his rehab with the same intensity that he attacks on the soccer field,” said Coach Tim King. King also shared that Andrew was able to sit on the bench with the team shortly after his surgery. “I think that provided a big emotional boost for our guys,” he said.

Despite the fact that he couldn’t play, King said Andrew has been a big help to the team. “He still watches all the game films and provides feedback to his teammates and to me. His knowledge of the game is outstanding and I trust his opinion on what he is seeing.”

Rents’ parents are very proud of the way their son has handled this difficult situation. For Cassidy, she said that Andrew has had extraordinary opportunities to play the game he loves all over the US and in Europe. “With all of the honors and awards he has received, I am most proud of his humility,” she said. His teammates and his coaches mean the world to him and she said he will be right there on the sidelines cheering them on.