Lacrosse player Ben Urso ’25 could have never imagined what the past nine months have had in store for him-—–hearing a sudden pop in his knee during a California tournament last July and finding out he suffered an ACL tear just a couple of days later that led to tears falling from his eyes—-Urso made a comeback to the lacrosse field just eight months removed from the injury this March. While the injury was a major setback, Urso says the injury was one of the best things that has ever happened to him, and for one simple reason: it led him to love lacrosse, the sport he has played his whole life, all over again.
Urso is the bonafide team leader of Bishop Gorman’s lacrosse team. He has made an impact all four years of his high school career and helped lead the team to their most recent state championship against Galena last May. He has signed his letter of intent with Concordia University Irvine, one of the best Division II lacrosse programs in the country (ranked 14th in preseason poll), and looks forward to making an impact the second he steps foot on campus this upcoming August. For now, however, he has one thing on his mind: leading Bishop Gorman back to the state finals, a feat that hasn’t been done since the 2014 and 2015 seasons when Gorman repeated as state champions. It’s a tough task at hand, but considering what Urso has gone through over the past year, it is definitely possible.
If you told Urso that he would already be back on the lacrosse field and helping his team once again just nine months after the injury, he probably would have called you crazy. Urso was in the middle of a semifinal game and heard his knee pop after it rolled back while he was running. He kept playing on it—-he even scored the overtime winner that same game after fully tearing his ACL and even managed to get into the championship game the day after. All it took was for him to put weight on that leg the very next game, however, and once he did, he collapsed and had to be taken off the field. Once he got back to Las Vegas, the prognosis was officially confirmed by his doctor. “I actually started crying,” Urso said, “because I thought I wasn’t going to play during my senior year and now had to focus on getting ready for college.”
Despite the setback, Urso wanted to give himself the best chance to even have a shot at playing during his senior year. He was already in physical therapy the day after the surgery, and despite his initial efforts, his leg wasn’t cooperating.the way he wanted it to. Urso had to go under the knife once again after reopening the wound just weeks after he started physical therapy. That alone pushed what already seemed like an ultra-optimistic timeline to getting back on the field back even more. Urso was not deterred. After his second surgery, Urso took it slow, describing the process as a “balanced approach” that saw him cautiously push himself to make sure that his knee was healing most importantly but to also keep alive the tiny chance of playing his senior year.
After months of rehab, Urso made his return to the practice field last month and rejoined the team that was eagerly waiting for him. He was sidelined for the first few weeks of the season, but entered into the lineup against rival Palo Verde just two weeks ago. He scored three goals and helped lead the team to a huge conference win on the road in his first game back, a much needed contribution that helped remind his teammates that the season is far from over. “Ben’s definitely that rock,” senior Aden Andersen, a Manhattan commit and the starting goalie, added. “Having him back is massive to our team because he helps us score way more goals than when he is off the field. He brings our team together.” Even after the extended absence, Andersen says that Urso looks like he hasn’t lost a step. “He’s looking solid. His shot looks faster than ever.”
Despite all of the emotions that Urso has experienced over the past nine months, he says he would not have traded it for anything. “I fell back in love with lacrosse,” Urso said with a smile, “because I saw how much the team cared and because of that I wanted to be back and help them.” In regards to life, he called the whole experience “eye-opening,” adding that the injury taught him that “anything can happen to anyone” and that “you are never immune.”
As the season comes to a close over the next month, Urso wants to enjoy it as much as he has ever before. “I wanted to be back and I have so much energy right now,” Urso said laughing. There’s no telling how far this lacrosse team will go, but with Urso back in the fold, it has the chance to make its mark once again. He is looking forward to giving it his all and helping Bishop Gorman be at its best when it matters. “I thought I was done,” Urso added, “but now I feel like a kid again.”
