Breann Wood

PITTSBURGH — Breann Wood doesn’t want to admit it.

But the Carlow University sophomore forward and Karns City graduate is reminded of it every time her right hip aches.

The end of her soccer career may be drawing near.

“It’s still pretty miserable,” Woods said of the hip, which barks at her with pain every time she steps onto a soccer pitch.

Wood has a torn labrum in that joint — the second time in a year she has suffered that injury and the third time in her career.

It has limited her in practice and in matches, yet she leads the Celtics with six goals and 14 points despite only playing a little more than 50 minutes per match.

Wood is facing her third hip surgery on Dec. 21 — almost a year to the day from her last surgery.

She’s hoping it’s her last.

“I have hip dysplasia,” Wood said. “I have really narrow and shallow hip sockets. I already have arthritis in my hips.”

That doesn’t bode well for her playing career. Wood also has her professional career to think about. She is going to school to be a nurse and she is looking at being on her feet for “eight- to 12-hour shifts,” Wood said. “I need to be able to walk when I’m done with college.”

Wood, though, isn’t focusing on her limitations.

When she is on the field, she is the same high-energy player she was at Karns City, where she finished her career with 122 career goals and won the Butler Eagle Girls Soccer Player of the Year Award after her senior season.

Wood said her game has evolved in the time she has spent at Carlow.

“I still like to run and gun,” Wood said, laughing. “But I definitely feel like I’ve become better at being a playmaker. I’m better at winning the 1-v-1 situations and setting up my teammates. I’m becoming more like (former KC teammate) Emily LoPresti.”

Carlow women’s soccer coach Marcus Pollidore said he has been impressed with Wood’s play.

He’s even more impressed, he said, because of the limitations her hip has placed on her.

“True to her character Bre displays a high level of resilience,” Pollidore said. “And despite being hampered with injury, she is still able to produce at a pretty decent work rate.”

Wood has also been pleased by the way she has been playing for Carlow, which is 5-5 this season.

“It feels good,” Wood said. “I’m not using the injury as a crutch.”

She is using it as motivation, however — especially if this is her final season.

“I’ve just been putting that in the back of my mind,” Wood said. “I’m just trying to play the best I can for the team. It might be my last year or I might be able to keep playing for the next two years. There’s pros and cons to both. I’ll sit down and think about it after the season.”