Although she couldn’t pinpoint a time that the injury occurred, Merchant said Williams felt something come about last weekend.

“She felt like something happened on Saturday at our open scrimmage,” Merchant said. “She just didn’t feel well after that practice. We practiced on Sunday, and I told (the doctor) that was the first time I felt like something was wrong more than just her struggling with the pain. The only way I could ever describe it is if you have a pet and they have something stuck in their paw. It was like the minute that knee went down, it was coming right back up.”

Team orthopedic surgeon Dr. Michael Shingles said telling Williams about her third ACL tear was one of the most difficult things he’s ever had to do in his profession. Williams missed all but three games a season ago after tearing her left ACL on Nov. 15 against IPFW, and missed the entire 2010-11 season with a tear to her right ACL.

“It’s flat-out depressing,” Shingles said. “I didn’t sleep well last night. She’ll make her decision on her playing career down the road. The odds are she could (come back), and knowing her, she will.”

Shingles said that after undergoing ACL reconstructive surgery, there is a 95 percent chance it won’t happen again, and that more ACL tears happen in women than men.

“You have to look at the big picture for the athlete,” he said. “She’s already dealing with it and recovering from that process. Her goal is to play on that stage and have a career here.”

Merchant said if there is one person who can power though the situation, it’s Williams.

“She’s a pretty special young lady,” she said. “You go through all those stages. It’s the shock, the devastation, the frustration, the anger and now it’s about time to move on. Maddie is going to have to dig a little deeper and do some soul searching, too, just to see if this is something she wants to endure.”