TORONTO - On the cloudy afternoon of November 2, 2018, Emily Porteous had her future jeopardized and her entire career as a soccer player called into question. Porteous, a Mississauga, Ont., native, was playing for the University of West Alabama Tigers in a game against the West Florida Argonauts at the Emory Folmar Complex in Montgomery, Ala. 

After admittedly committing prematurely to Canisius College in her early adolescence, Porteous left upstate New York for the Division II Tigers ahead of the 2018 season. She liked playing in Alabama and, while the team was a step below some of the NCAA's middling Division I programs, she was confident they could take on teams above their class. 

"I think going to Alabama was one of the best decisions I ever made," Porteous remembered of her time with the Tigers. "Once going there, I realized that the division didn't really matter, it's the level of play."

During the first half of that particular game, Porteous and a West Florida player were involved in an ongoing scuffle. In Porteous' words, the two had been pulling at each other's jerseys all game long and fought consistently. While going up in the air to try and head a ball during a corner kick, the West Florida player pushed Porteous into the nearby goalpost, which slammed into her head and knocked her unconscious for eight hours.

"I don't remember it happening," Porteous said, "but I've seen the video, and it was terrifying just to watch."

She woke up at a nearby hospital, completely dazed and disoriented. The doctors who were caring for her were not hopeful for her future, both athletically and personally. 

"They thought this was the end of me," Porteous recalled grimly. 

Added Porteous: "They didn't think I would be able to walk."

In the immediate aftermath of the injury, Porteous was incapable of concentrating in school and suffered serious cognitive impairment. She failed the school's concussion baseline test miserably and was frequently bothered by bright lights or loud noises.  

She wasn't able to keep playing for West Alabama's team and, as a result, had to come back home.

Luckily, she had a connection to the OUA in the form of Rams head coach Natalie Bukovec, who coached Porteous in Oakville, Ont., with the Blue Devils FC in League1 Ontario. Always looking to improve her team, Bukovec encouraged her to join their squad. Funny enough, Porteous didn't even know Bukovec was the coach of the Rams, having been so firmly embedded in the American scene that she'd lost track of her Canadian counterparts. 

In any event, Porteous was determined to hit the field as a Ram, but ran into another setback; she was planning to study (and play) at Ryerson during the 2019-20 season, but failed a cognitive test again and had to take another year off of school. 

Eventually, she was able to join the women's soccer team during what would become a completely cancelled season due to COVID-19. Though getting back into soccer was tough, Porteous acknowledges that Bukovec has been exceptionally supportive in getting her back on the field.

"[Natalie has] been great," she said with a reserved smile. Added Porteous of her coach: "She's been so good at making me feel like a part of this team."

Even at the best of times, Porteous conceded that playing her hardest remains a challenge in the aftermath of a traumatic injury. There's a certain fearlessness that's required to play soccer, and she hasn't yet been able to fully regain that sense of courage. 

"It's still terrifying to play," Porteous remarked. "You can tell that I'm still a little timid, which is a little frustrating on my part because I never used to be."

But, for all the challenges she faced as a varsity athlete, Porteous has found a home with the Rams, most of whom she's known for years from her time in the youth soccer circuit in Ontario. 

"I'm back playing with girls that I've known since I was six years old," she said with a smile. 

Without mincing words, Porteous' journey back to the pitch has been a difficult one, filled with ups and downs that made her question whether she'd be able to physically withstand the wear and tear of a season. But, regardless of what she faces, Porteous' love of the game and passion for competition carries her forward, even at this point in her career. 

"It's difficult," Porteous admitted frankly, "but I still want to go as far as I can with it."