Betos’ Return a Personal and Professional Triumph
OL Reign’s July 8 win over Utah Royals FC represented more than just three points in the NWSL Challenge Cup. For goalkeeper Michelle Betos, it marked an important return to form for both herself and the club.
Betos had not stepped on the pitch for a competitive match in nearly 14 months since she ruptured her Achilles tendon in a May 18, 2019 win against Sky Blue FC. Despite the long layoff, the goalkeeper was immaculate against Utah. She made five saves and kept the club’s second clean sheet of the tournament in a 1-0 win.
“It’s my first time returning from injury, so I’d say it’s my best one yet,” Betos said, laughing. “It’s incredible. It was so fun. When you get hurt, you’re just working for this day and it finally came. It’s been a tough offseason, between personal things and the pandemic. Today was really special. It was Raki’s birthday (goalkeeper coach Lljupco “Raki” Kmetovski’s). We got a win. We got a shutout. There’s so much that makes this meaningful. I don’t think I’ll ever forget it.”
The path back to the field certainly wasn’t easy for Betos, but she attacked the work of recovery with gusto. Just a handful of weeks after sustaining the injury, early morning visitors to Cheney Stadium would find that they had been beaten to the office by Betos and Kmetovski.
A boot around her right ankle, Betos worked from her knees, lunging from side to side to swat away balls that Kmetovski spiked off a rebounding net in the early morning light.
The grit and relentless determination are unsurprising for those who know Betos. Teammates who were nearby at the time of her injury last year reported that the keeper, upon discovering that the club was out of available substitutes for the match, initially demanded that the training staff tape up her ankle and let her continue to play, although she eventually relented and teammate Morgan Andrews finished the match in goal.
Her hard work to return to form was evident early against Utah. In the 12th minute, Lo’eau LaBonta whipped a shot across the face of goal that Betos dove toward and tightly held the rebound. In the second half, the keeper was called into action twice in five minutes, stopping a careening shot from Verónica Boquete through traffic, before blocking an open look from Mallory Weber.
Betos is quick to share the credit with her back line.
“They were incredible,” Betos said. “We made some subs during the game, but I though Celia (Jiménez Delgado), (Kristen) McNabb, Amber (Brooks), Alana (Cook), Steph (Cox) were great. Amy Rodriguez is one of the best forwards in the country. I think she’s one of the toughest to play against. I think her runs are the most dynamic. To shut her down – I don’t think she got a shot on goal – that was something that we focused on coming into the match. I think they should be so proud of themselves, because that’s a good front line on a good Utah team and the defense made it easy on me today.”
Beyond the result, however, Betos says the spirit of the match was an important moment for OL Reign, recapturing the same drive and attitude that helped the club overcome injuries to reach the 2019 NWSL semifinals, and will be a necessary to find success at the Challenge Cup.
“I think the win was special and important,” Betos said. “Even though these games only count for seeding, we knew we were better than (the loss against Houston). We’re a returning team, but we’re also a new team. I think we learned a lot about ourselves. The first two games, we didn’t feel like the fight was there. That’s something we’ve prided ourselves on. Last year, we had a ton of injuries, but we fought and clawed our way to the playoffs. We needed to have that as our baseline. We’re healthier. We have two full teams that could play in this league. I think our baseline is that fight and that grit. I think we proved to ourselves that we have that. I think it’s really important. I think we proved a lot to ourselves and to this league that we’re a team to be reckoned with. I think it was the mentality that I’m the proudest of.”