Read the full article by Barbara Laker and David Gambacorta

“It was fitting that Schyler Herman’s signature jersey was emblazoned with the orange and black stripes of a tiger.

She was an intimidating presence on the soccer field, a 5-foot-10 goalie with eight-pack abs and fast, fluid movements. Able to bench press 160 pounds and run a sub-5-minute mile, she would pop a dislocated finger back in place midgame.

As a 14-year-old freshman, she bumped seniors from the starting spot on the varsity team at Pleasant Valley High School in Brodheadsville, a tiny, close-knit community in the Pocono Mountains. Between her role on the school team, and a spot that she earned in the coveted Players Development Academy in New Jersey, Schyler played soccer year round, day after day, mostly on artificial turf. Division 1 college scouts had already come knocking, assuming she was years older.

Not the hold-back type, Schyler would fly out of the net, often diving hard on plastic grass. Deep cuts and bruises that morphed from black and blue to purple and yellow were the norm, her marks of pride.

Over time, Schyler’s parents, Mike and Sherrie Herman, noticed that she seemed to be bruising more easily and more often, and the marks took longer to fade. She started to experience headaches, too, which her parents thought were caused by exhaustive training and dehydration. They said they didn’t know she was ‘popping ibuprofen like Tic Tacs’ to lessen the pain.” …