Freeport soccer star Autumn Diduch is out for rest of season as Pretzels try to regroup

It was reported on Wednesday morning that Freeport's top softball pitcher was out for the rest of her senior season.

Now, it's been confirmed that the Freeport Pretzels' top soccer star, and one of the Rockford area's best of all time, is out for the rest of her senior year, too.

"It was tough news to hear," striker Autumn Diduch said shortly after seeing a knee specialist this week. "But I'm glad I know what it is now."

Diduch, who has a scholarship to play soccer at Illinois State University starting next year, has a torn ACL in her left knee, this week's MRI revealed. They believe she tore it during the girls flag football season sometime in October, but she battled through the initial injury and continued to train and play.

More Rockford-area soccer: Soccer storylines: Belvidere North's Cortlyn Hefty has 40 goals, Boylan perfect in NIC-10

Eventually, the pain slowed her down. Still only at times, but it affected her game. She had only nine goals this year, way fewer than in any other high school campaign.

She finally got an MRI, and the results showed the tear. She still doesn't know how extensive the tear is, and she had an appointment with an orthopedic surgeon on Tuesday and now has her surgery scheduled for May 9.

"I guess this just starts a new challenge for me," she said. "And we'll see when I can get back out there."

She will have surgery next week as her team looks to finish the regular season strong. Her twin sister Cadence, one of the NIC-10 and Rockford-area's best defenders, has picked up some of the scoring slack with four goals in the two games right after Freeport (7-3, 4-2 NIC-10) lost its leading scorer for the past four seasons.

"I feel like our team looks completely different now," said Cadence, who has moved up more to the midfield, and had a hat trick in last Tuesday's 3-2 double-overtime win over Harlem. "Autumn was our offense... We all have to play better now.

"And I'll keep being there for my sister."

Autumn finished this season with those nine goals and ended her career with a school-record 117, the fifth most goals scored all-time in the Rockford area. Belvidere North's Cortlyn Hefty had 50 goals this season, and 154 in her career, at midweek this week.

She recently passed up Rockford Christian's Hillary Noakes (139 goals from 2015-18), Stillman Valley's Abby Timm (137 goals from 2012-14) and Rockford Christian's Bryn Kittle (124 goals from 2009-12) for No. 1 all-time in the Rockford area.

Autumn won't be able to give her chase anymore. But she's confident she'll be ready to get back out there and score goals by at least her sophomore season at ISU.

"Cortlyn (Hefty) has just been killing it all season long," Autumn Diduch said. "I'm really happy for her.

"And for me, I'm just going through another part of being an athlete. This is just another hurdle."

Now Freeport was scheduled to travel to Jefferson on Thursday and host East next Tuesday. But the Pretzels will then close out the regular season at Boylan (10-3-2, 5-0 NIC-10) on May 9, and the Titans may be playing for another conference title.

Freeport will most likely not be. But the Pretzels do have plenty still to play for this year.

"Autumn wasn't herself this season, but she was still one of the best ones out there," Freeport head coach Nick Namio said. We're going to miss her."

Jay Taft is a Rockford Register Star sports reporter. Email him at jtaft@rrstar.com and follow him on X, formerly Twitter, at @JayTaft. Sign up for the Rockford High School Sports Newsletter here at rrstar.com. Jay has covered a variety of sports, from the Chicago Bears and Blackhawks to local youth sports, since the turn of the century at the Register Star.

This article originally appeared on Rockford Register Star: Autumn Diduch tears ACL, is out for rest of Freeport's soccer season