Torchia embracing a lesson in patience as he returns from leg injury

Though it wasn’t by choice, a lesson in patience is what Tano Torchia took from the 2024-25 season. 
 
Just minutes into the Keyano Huskies Men’s Soccer team’s home opener on September 14, 2024, the team’s second game of the season, Torchia was battling to score the opening goal of the game deep in the opposition’s end when he suffered a broken leg.  

In an instant, his season was done; a long road to recovery ahead. 

“It sucked a lot knowing that I was out for the season,” Torchia said thinking back to the moment of the injury. “I think I was going to have a really good season. It was a big learning curve for me.
 
“I had to learn to be more part of the team in a different way that I haven’t been before.”  

It was a sudden setback to the team based upon what Torchia had brought to the program in his rookie year.  
 
He played a key part in the Huskies winning two Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference (ACAC) Championship – one in Men’s Soccer and one in Men’s Futsal – during the 2023-24 academic year. He started 10 of the team’s 12 regular season games, scored a pair of goals, and picked up Men’s Futsal Rookie of the Year honours at the Huskies’ awards night. 

While the injury forced him out for the rest of the academic year, he didn’t disappear from the team. As many practices as he could make it to in between doctors appointments he’d be there; at first in his wheelchair and then in crutches.  
 
In his time of pain, his commitment didn’t waver.   

“It’s something that you never want to see as a coach,” noted Head Coach Niels Slotboom of the injury. “I think we did a really good job with the crew that was on site to take of him, get him to the hospital, get him into the best shape possible. 
 
“That’s in the end what we can do and that has to be the focus point. You hate to see anything of that nature in a team, but just in people that you care about in general.”  

While the soccer season was written off, there was initial hope that Torchia could come back for the futsal season. 
 
That’s where Torchia had to readjust his mindset after the leg wasn’t yet fully healed, accept that his season was done athletically and focus on coming back for the 2025 outdoor season.

In those moments of pain, not just from the leg but from the realization he was sidelined, he had his teammates to get him through that. 

“They really helped me push and staying in a good headspace to get back in the game,” Torchia said. “Hanging around the team still every day, I tried to be at every practice and that would just motivate me even more to be able to play with the boys again.

“I learned to not rush things. If I could do it again, that’d probably be my biggest tip is to take more time.”  

But he’s ready once again and prepared to make up for lost time.

“It feels so great,” Torchia said after his first weekend back on the pitch for exhibition action last month. “It’s the best feeling going from zero to 100.”   

Entering his third season with the Huskies, Torchia will be one of the team’s leaders counted upon when the team opens up their 2025 campaign on Saturday, September 6 at SMS Equipment Place. Kick-off is scheduled for 4:15pm. 

“When Tano speaks, everybody’s all ears,” Slotboom continued. “He’s been able to get back faster than what the doctors anticipated, which goes to show how well he’s done and the shape that he was in before.  
 
“He leads by example so if he’s able to do that, it gives him a lot of credibility with the players. We have a lot of young players a lot of new players to our level so we need leaders to start taking shape and take charge and he’s one of those guys.”