Junior soccer forward Kaitlin Bast has rejoined the Pioneers during the spring season after missing most of the fall season due to a concussion received during Denver’s 1-0 victory over Colorado on Sept. 11, 2011.
“I was nervous at first, but I am gaining confidence and feel good about my performance,” said Bast about her return to the field this spring.
She started the first six games of the fall season before her concussion. In those few contests, she netted three goals, tallied three assists, earned recognition as the Sun Belt Conference Player of the Week on Aug. 30 and was named to the 2011 Preseason All-SBC Team.
Bast didn’t know how long she would be out after receiving the injury. She took it day by day, but she was unable to play for five months.
“It was hard to be out for that long, especially since I’ve been playing for 18 years,” said Bast. “All I wanted was to be able to play.”
Bast played center-midfield and forward for Arapahoe High School for four years. During her time there, she earned All-Colorado honors in both the Rocky Mountain News and the Denver Post. She was named Continental League Player of the Year in 2007-2008, earned team attacking MVP and received the Arapahoe High School student-athlete award. She played club soccer with Real Colorado and helped lead them to State Cup titles in 2005, 2006 and 2008.
During her freshman year at DU, Bast was named to the All-SBC First Team, selected to Colorado Soccer Now’s 2009 All-Colorado team and named the All-Colorado SBC Tournament Most Outstanding Player. She earned a spot on the All-SBC Tournament Team and was voted SBC Player of the Week twice.
Bast started in all 24 games for the Pioneers, leading the SBC with 12 goals and 31 points and earning the team’s Most Valuable Freshman award.
Bast was named the SBC Player of the Year in 2010 during her sophomore season, leading the team in points (32) goals (14) and game-winning goals (5) after starting all 22 games.
She was named to the 2010 Preseason All-SBC Team, the DU Invitational All-Tournament Team and the Gonzaga University All-Tournament Team. She was named to the SBC Commissioner’s List for the second year in a row with a 3.5 or better GPA.
In the fall season, other players had to step up as the team was missing Bast’s on-field leadership, according to head coach Jeff Hooker.
“As a coach, it was tough to keep from wanting to push her to come back. But I knew she would be better off if she took the time and recovered completely,” said Hooker. “[Since returning], Kaitlin hasn’t missed a beat; she has been fantastic. She is in remarkably good shape after being out, and the only thing she has to take it easy on is head-balls.”
Both Hooker and Bast mentioned their excitement for next fall, when the team will transition into the Western Athletic Conference.
“I am really looking forward to coming back,” said Bast. “Our team has maintained many key players and I hope to help lead us to a conference championship.”
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