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Jon Kuiperij Sports Editor sports@oakvillebeaver.com Sports I N H O T P U 19 | Friday, February 14, 2014 | OAKVILLE BEAVER | www.insideHALTON.com "Connected to your Community" R S U I T Lang's return derailed by another major knee injury Kara Lang's attempt to come back out of retirement from the Canadian women's soccer team has come to an unfortunate end, at least for now. The former St. Thomas Aquinas high school student suffered her third major knee injury Wednesday, less than a month before the 27-year-old had hoped to play for Canada at the Cyprus Women's Cup. "2 days after being cleared to train w/ Kara Lang #CanWNT my knee literally exploded yesterday," Lang tweeted Thursday. "I've torn just about everything you can in a knee." The Oakville Soccer Club product, whose two previous torn ACL injuries forced her to retire from soccer three years ago at the age of 24, began her comeback attempt last March. Lang worked out extensively with athletic therapists in Montreal, attempting to rebuild her running style and stance in order to put less stress on her knees. The striker was named to Canada's roster for a friendly against Mexico three months ago in Vancouver, but didn't play. Her ultimate goal was to suit up for Canada in the 2015 Women's World Cup. "Thank U to everyone who's been there for me along this crazy trip. Staying positive b/c I have the best support system anyone could ask for," Lang tweeted Thursday. Lang scored 34 goals in 92 games for the national team, playing in two World Cups (2003 and 2007) as well as the Beijing Olympics in 2008. Lang began her national team career in 2002, when she was 15. She was the youngest player ever to be named to the Canadian senior team, and is the youngest player ever to score a goal in international senior play. Oakville Speed Skating Club product Patrick Duffy (left), an alternate on this year's Canadian Olympic short-track speed skating team, follows OSSC skater Andrew Liou around the track Sunday at River Oaks Recreation Centre. Duffy spent three hours with youngsters from the club, offering them advice on and off the ice. See page 19 for the story. | photo by Graham Paine -- Oakville Beaver -- @Halton_Photog Soccer players commit to D1 schools by Jon Kuiperij Beaver Sports Editor Two Oakville residents formally accepted scholarships from major NCAA Division 1 soccer programs last week. White Oaks high school student Rajvir Singh Kahlon signed his commitment to the University of Pittsburgh, while Loyola's Veronica Bosco officially agreed to an offer from the University of Memphis. Kahlon, 17, said he will be the first turbaned (visible) Sikh from Ontario to play NCAA Division 1 soccer -- an accomplishment he is both proud of and humbled by. "I think I have crossed a barrier to some degree, because sometimes people feel that long hair can be a barrier from furthering (a career) in competitive sports. Or, as seen in Quebec, the turbans and head coverings were the target of a discriminatory policy preventing kids from playing soccer," Kahlon said. "Any time a young athlete can relate to someone else's story, it can serve as an inspiration, and I hope my signing with an ACC school will do that for others." The 17-year-old said choosing between Pittsburgh and St. John's University was "the hardest decision of my life." He received Pittsburgh's offer last September, asked for an extension on his deadline to verbally commit and waited until the last minute -- 9 p.m. White Oaks high school student Rajvir Singh Kahlon signs his letter of intent to attend the University of Pittsburgh next year on a soccer scholarship. | photo submitted on Nov. 22 -- before deciding to play for the Panthers. "The one thing that made me pick Pittsburgh was academics," said Kahlon, who is currently in his final year of the International Baccalauerate advanced learning program at White Oaks. "It's also close to home, and they're in the (Atlantic Coast Conference, which produced three of the four semifinalists in last year's NCAA men's soccer tournament). I was told I could be a crucial part of the team, mostly because I'm a center-midfielder and they could surround the team around me." Kahlon's resume is impressive, both on and off the pitch. He has trained overseas with such high-profile clubs as West Ham (United Kingdom) and Dinamo Zagra (Croatia); he was named one of the top 50 players in last year's Keele Cup International Tournament in England; and he is a member of the Toronto Lynx premier soccer academy's under-20 team. In addition to his advanced studies at White Oaks, Kahlon played football and basketball this season for the Wildcats while somehow also serving as student council president. "It's definitely hard. It's a lot of time management skills that are required," Kahlon said of his busy schedule. "The main thing for me is I don't want to procrastinate. Playing D1 soccer with the major I'll be taking (he plans to study finance and either economics or computer engineering), I will have to keep my priorities in check." Kahlon said he has long aspired to play soccer for a living, but the value of education sunk in when he was training in Europe. "I realized a lot of kids were going overseas, training and getting cut. Then they were left stranded because they didn't have a contract or an education," he said. "It is more see Bosco on p.20