Bella Howard’s goal on Thursday was the opening salvo in a 3-0 win for Liberty girls soccer over Vista Ridge at District 20 Stadium. 

It was also her latest triumph over an injury that could have ended her career. 

In December 2024, Howard dislocated her left knee during a club soccer match. The injury required surgery, which sidelined her for more than a year. 

“I couldn’t run for nine months. I couldn’t play for a year,” she said. “It was just really hard to watch my team for a year, even though I was so proud of them where they made it last year. But it was hard not to help them with that. I’m really proud that I’m here now and just how far I’ve come from the surgery a year ago.”

On the road to recovery, Howard struggled with the stress of being inactive, with eating and with wondering if she had played her last minute of soccer.

From the first day, however, she had a support system that helped carry her through. 

“I remember when I had surgery, my mom, she carried me to the couch and she slept on the couch with me, and it was like I have never felt more loved and supported in my life,” Howard said.  

Liberty coach Logan Hoffman was another source of support. At the end of last November, he told her, “It’s now or never,” in regard to a return to the pitch. 

“She couldn’t run in December 2025 and we were in the gym five days a week from Dec. 1 to Feb. 1,” he said. “Just me and her. Just cranking through it and it’s incredible to see her back. She played a lot for us and started a lot as a freshman on varsity, missed her entire sophomore year and, … She’s one of a lot of special stories on our team.”

Hoffman said Howard is now a top-four forward on the team, but her story became even more special in the 15th minute of Thursday’s match. Senior Addi Brandon sent in a cross that visiting keeper Celeste Connolly tried to catch, but Howard got there first and bumped the ball past the goalie and in. 

The goal was the junior’s first with the Lancers. 

“It’s so rewarding. I’m so proud of the team that has built me up to this, my Coach Hoffman, he has worked with me so hard to get me to the point I am today,” she said. “It’s just very rewarding that this is the game that we won and that we can continue to do that, maybe even make playoffs.”

Liberty (4-2-2) is well on its way to the postseason, currently on a four-game unbeaten run. Junior Harley Ellis has been a big part of that run with goals in the Lancers’ last two wins. She delivered again on Thursday, scoring the team’s second goal off a corner kick in the 42nd minute. As a result, Ellis leads the team in goals this season with three. 

Junior Alexis Findish rounded out the scoring for the hosts with a strike from the center of the 18-yard box in the 61st minute. 

While the juniors took care of the scoring, five freshmen punctuated a dominant defensive performance for the Lancers. Liberty shut out Vista Ridge, which entered the game averaging around three goals a match. Hoffman gave his freshmen some minutes as the game wound to a close. Despite hard efforts from the visitors, the young Lancers secured the clean sheet and a win in the conference opener.  

“Defensively, we were a little shaky earlier this year, we figured it out,” Hoffman said. “That’s part of the DNA of our program, is we don’t concede, and we’ve taken it a little personally, or at least I have, that we’ve conceded a few too many goals earlier on this year. You can see in our results, it’s shifting.”