SMOKEY POINT, WA—Harbor Force player Jaisen Zurfluh (PLU, 2020) will have surgery on his right knee after a collision with Snohomish County goalkeeper Dorian Lair on a penalty kick sequence late in Sunday’s WWPL match at Dick Cardinal Stadium.
In the 88th minute of play with the Steelheads leading 1-0, Zurfluh stood at the penalty kick spot in an effort to draw the match level for the visiting Harbor Force. His try was blocked by Lair. The ball bounced free and Jaisen pounced to try to knock in the rebound. The resulting collision left Lair with a knock near his left eye. Zurfluh extended his right leg on the play and suffered a break which required immediate medical attention.
The Play. (Warning, it shows the moment of the injury.)
“I found out in the hospital on Monday that I fractured my tibial plateau and need to get surgery some time next week,” Jaisen reveals. “I just want to say I appreciate all the help you guys provided while I was at the field and all the players that came over to shake my hand, at the time. I may not have acknowledged it but it meant a lot to me!”
Dorian is on standby this week, still not 100%. He was on the sidelines at Tuesday’s practice. Luke Brezak looks likely to be called into action on Sunday when SnoCo FC hosts Grays Harbor Gulls FC.
As for Zurfluh, he’s taking the incident with a sense of humor and a lot of class. “I harbor no hard feelings,” he told SnoCo FC President David Falk via Messenger. “It was just an accident of the game and if I had just scored the penalty kick none of this would’ve happened (wink emoji). I’ll be on the road to recovery for a while, but hopefully I’ll be able to play you guys again some time in the future.”
The Steelheads wish Jaisen all the best and respect his classy reaction to a tough situation.
You must be logged in to post a comment.