Jill Heikkila, substitute midfielder for the women’s soccer team, will miss the remainder of the season because of a torn anterior cruciate ligament and possible cartilage damage in her left knee.

Heikkila suffered the injury Sept. 30 in the team’s 2-1 loss to Toledo. She twisted her knee as she was sending the ball down the sideline. She knew right away that it was a serious injury.

“It felt really weird,” Heikkila said. “I thought something was torn or pulled because I felt that pop and it didn’t bend the right way when I did.

“I never had a serious injury playing soccer before. I wish I was out there helping my team.”

Coach Frank Horvat said that Heikkila was making her presence felt before the injury.

“She was starting to turn the corner, doing things, working toward a starting position,” Horvat said. “She’s definitely going to be missed for the rest of the season.”

Sarah Dickinson said if Heikkila hadn’t hurt her knee, she would have received a considerable amount of playing time.

“She was playing as well as I’ve ever seen her play,” Dickinson said.

Heikkila will undergo reconstructive surgery on Nov. 2 and faces six to eight months of rehabilitation. She says she can begin running and kicking the ball four to five months after the surgery.

“I’m gonna do what I have to to get back as soon as I can and just take the time that I need,” Heikkila said.

In her second year at NIU, Heikkila played in eight games before her injury and started one. She had one goal and one assist (three points) this season.

Last season, she played in 18 games and started 11. She had two goals (4 points).

“We’re looking at getting her better so she could come back next year and pick up where she left off,” Horvat said.