There was a time not long ago when Cambridge goalkeeper Rylee Foster would've been happy to play the game she loves just for fun.
A budding professional career with Liverpool F.C. in the prestigious Women's Super League came to an unexpected halt in 2021 when Foster was involved in what can only be described as a horrific car accident on an icy road in Finland.
A seat belt malfunction sent her through the windshield resulting in several fractured vertebrae, brain bleeding and other serious injuries.
Having been fitted for a halo device to keep her neck stable, many believed her playing days were the least of her worries, if not over.
Admittedly, much of her rehab was focused on regaining a quality of life that was once the norm. Throughout the process, however, the now 26-year-old never lost her competitive fire and in the true spirit of an athlete was unwilling to be defined by her circumstances.
Fast forward to 2023 and Foster wasn't only on the road to recover, she was suiting up for the Wellington Phoenix of the Australian A-League.
She still recalls that first game back in the professional ranks.
"Leading up to the game, I was actually quite composed. I shocked myself with that," Foster said.
"For me, it was about the end of the game. We didn't win as a team but I felt like I had won within myself. I had overcome so much. It took a lot of perseverance, a lot of sacrifices. As soon as the final whistle blew, I took a deep breath and I couldn't control the emotion."
A strong season with the Phoenix caught the attention of Everton in the WSL and she inked a six month deal with the club back in September.
It was a full-circle moment.
"Once I knew I was going to play again, the goal had always been to get back to the WSL and back into English football," she said.
"When Everton came out with the opportunity to trial, it gave me a real opportunity to see where I was against likeminded competitors and if I could hold myself against them. Luckily, I could."
Foster isn't the same player she once was, though.
It's not her ability or competitiveness that's different, but her perspective.
"When I look at life, I kind of laugh," she said.
"Before I took everything so seriously. Football was everything for me and I never really had time to reflect and appreciate the small things. I think everyone in life does that, we get caught going through the motions. I'm doing everything possible to make sure I'm enjoying myself."
Playing with a newfound sense of freedom, Foster wants to be a top goalkeeper for a WSL club and be on the radar for the Canadian national team again.
They're lofty goals but pale in comparison to what she's been able to overcome.
"I've already done one of the hardest things a human can do in healing from immense injuries, things you wouldn't even see in movies," she said.
"Now I can go enjoy myself and that's so exciting. I'm enjoying it so much more because I know what it feels like to have it taken away."
