GREENVILLE — It was an injury that could have jeopardized Paige Scherer's chances of playing lacrosse in college.

Instead, it made her even stronger.

Scherer suffered a torn ACL in her left knee while playing indoor lacrosse in the winter of her junior year at Seneca Valley.

“I was heartbroken,” she said. “I thought it would take away a lot of the colleges and recruiters who were interested in me.

“The doctors said that if I wanted to play again, I would need surgery. After the surgery, I went to physical therapy four times a week for six months. A lot of it was to just get the movement back in my knee, but I also did (upper-body) exercises. I'm stronger now than I was before the injury.”

And the women's lacrosse team at Thiel College is benefitting from it.

Scherer, a freshman midfielder for the Tomcats, is second on the team with 10 goals and paces the squad with 21 ground balls.

While she played as a defender in high school, Scherer is relishing her role as a goal scorer in college.

“I never played offense and never took faceoffs, but I'm doing both of those now. I can't imagine going back to defense. Coach (Kati) Robbins saw something in me and I am so thankful for that.”

Robbins first saw Scherer play during the latter's club season in the fall of 2014.

“I noticed her speed and toughness,” Robbins said. “She has the ability to know where the ball needs to go to put her teammates in the best position. I knew she would be an impact player (in college) from the start.”

Scherer returned from her injury to play in a few games at the end of her junior year at Seneca Valley. Her senior season left a lot to be desired, despite being named the team's rookie of the year.

“We had a lot of really strong players on our team, but as an individual player, it was disappointing for me,” she said. “I started some games, but didn't start others. There were games where I played just one half or not at all.”

Playing time is now not in question for Scherer, who finds herself as a team leader despite her youth.

And leadership is in high demand at Thiel.

The Tomcats won the Presidents' Athletic Conference Tournament in 2013 and placed second in 2014. Last year in the newly formed Ohio River Lacrosse Conference, they were once again runner-up.

But Thiel has fallen on hard times this spring, losing its first eight games. Three of the defeats have come by a single goal.

“We've been really close to winning in a few games,” said Scherer. “It's a rebuilding year for us, but we're definitely going to get there.”

Scherer and junior midfielder Jennifer Rickens are the only two players currently in double figures in goals for the Tomcats.

“We need to settle into the attack and get more people involved in the offense,” said Robbins. “We have 14 players on our roster and I'd love to have between 20-24, but Paige is someone we can build around. She is a player other teams have to be aware of and is one of the most coachable kids I've had.”

Scherer feels no lasting effects from her injury.

“The only thing left is the scar,” she said. “Every time I look at it, it just reminds me of how hard I had to work to come back.”