VERMILLION, S.D. - Tayler Karas has seen it all from an injury perspective. The senior broke her leg during her freshman year of high school and nearly needed surgery for a herniated disc as a sophomore in college. However, it was during those times that the South Dakota soccer defender found out what she wanted to do with her life.
 
"The first experience I had going through physical therapy was when I broke my leg," Karas said. "I was lucky to work with Katie Cordery, a former soccer player at Creighton, who didn't just help me recover but she was a good support system for me. She showed me the true meaning for what it is to be a physical therapist.
 
"It makes you want to build relationships and to have an impact on people's lives."
 
Karas, a native of Gretna, Nebraska, began to shadow Cordery at Omaha Physical Therapy Institute after her rehab was completed and the experience helped put into her mind that it was a career path she could see herself in.
 
"I like to help others, I love activity and I love sports," Karas added. "I want everyone to be active and do what they love. If I could do that for the rest of my life, I don't think that it will be considered work for me."
 
The kinesiology and sport management major came to the South Dakota campus for the 2015 season, playing in 13 games making three starts. It was after that season things took a downhill turn again.
 
"Going into my sophomore year, I found out that I had a herniated disc in my back," Karas said. "I had the option of having surgery or doing physical therapy, and I worked with Brandon Ness in the physical therapy department here.
 
"I tried to stick through it for the season and the physical therapy actually fixed my back. Apparently, the disc can be reabsorbed and that happened."
 
Already set on being a physical therapist, Karas was reassured she was in the right field of study with her experience.
 
"It made me so thankful, realizing that I could help someone aspire to reach their dreams," Karas said. "If I wouldn't have competed my sophomore season, I don't know where I would be.
 
"I am so thankful I did go through with it because overcoming that adversity made me the player that I am today."
 
Ness, an assistant professor of physical therapy at USD, commented that Karas' drive to get healthy for soccer will only help serve her as she pushes toward acceptance into a PT school.
 
"Characteristic of many physical therapists, Tayler demonstrated a consistent pattern of dedication, hard work and passion for learning while she recovered from her injury," Ness said. "Those same traits she demonstrated through her recovery and return to high-level soccer should serve her well as she pursues a career in physical therapy."
 
As part of her undergraduate classes, Karas completed a mini-internship this past summer with the USD strength and conditioning department and has an internship planned with Athletico later this school year.
 
While applying for physical therapy schools following her undergraduate career, Karas is completing her senior season on the turf that has seen the Coyotes (7-6-2) compile their most wins since the 2015 season when winning eight games.
 
Karas has been a stalwart on the defensive line, playing over 1,200 minutes and helping the Coyotes to four shutouts on the season. She also tallied her first-career point this year, an assist on the first goal of the year against Wyoming.
 
"I'm going to remember my last year as the best year of playing soccer," Karas said. "I really enjoyed my
first three years, but with the last being a captain and a senior has made soccer so much fun again. This is the most driven I have been.
 
"Being a Division I athlete can carry over the rest of my life. There are so many lessons, being a hard
worker, how to be a team player, that has helped me to build character and that will really help me."
 
South Dakota closes out its regular season with three-straight games on its home turf of First Bank & Trust Soccer Complex beginning with a 3 p.m. kickoff against Purdue Fort Wayne on Thursday. The Coyotes are in the thick of the Summit League race for one of four qualifying spots to the Summit League Tournament, a feat if achieved will be just for the second time since joining the league in 2012.