ORLANDO, Fla. — UCF women's soccer forward Mia Asenjo has been patiently waiting to make her debut for the Knights. She commit to the program as a freshman in high school but has yet to step into a game.

"Being back its like, it feels natural now," said UCF redshirt freshman Mia Asenjo. "It feels like I’m home. Just like a little detour but I made it to my destination."

Head coach Tiffany Roberts Sahaydak recalls Mia standing out on the recruiting trail even at a young age.

"She’s powerful and fast but she’s actually very technical and savvy," said Roberts Sahaydak. "So she’s really a full package player and I saw that when she was a pretty young player."

The New York native made the decision to move to Florida for her senior year of high school to get acclimated to her new state. At Montverde Academy, she impressed: named the Florida Gatorade State Player of the Year in 2020.

"It was this build up of college soccer its finally here its finally here I can touch it," said Asenjo. "Just for it to be taken away from me like that, it was really tough."

Just months before going off to college, Mia was playing with the U20 Dominican National Team. While away, she tore her ACL, MCL and meniscus. The injury sidelined her for the entire 2021 UCF season.

"My knee was just blown to bits to be honest," said Asenjo. "I was going through a really tough time in the mental part of my recovery. I was like, 'Hey I feel very discouraged I feel not included, I don’t feel like I’m providing anything to the team'."

While she was unable to participate in training, it is not in Mia's character to sit back. She worked on her own rehab while providing support and leadership for the Knights, which isn't always easy for a freshman.

"She still had a huge role on the team just encouraging from the sidelines, listening to information and just learning from the side," said Roberts Sahaydak.

‘What you’re doing is not going unnoticed and I want you to know were all so proud of you and you’re working so hard and we’re all super excited to see you play’," Asenjo recalled her teammates and coaches remind her. "Hearing that from them just made me wanna work so much harder."

Another challenge through the mental part of the rehab was wondering whether she would return to form once she was cleared. Any concerns or doubts went out the window this summer. Asenjo was cleared to play this spring and made plans to join Queensboro FC, part of the inaugural USL W league this summer. Mia led her team with 11 goals, good for the third most in the league. Her performance also led her to be named to the USL W Team of the Year.

"This summer actually gave me a crazy confidence booster," said Asenjo. I was more nervous in the spring cause I was like, am I gonna come back the same, am I gonna be better or am I gonna be worse? Then there’s a whole other hump that you have to get over. Getting your confidence up, getting fit, game fit. A lot of things that go unspoken about an ACL injury that go unspoken. I think I could write a book about it. Maybe I will."

The next chapter in her book brings her back to UCF, finally ready to suit up in black and gold. After committing to the Knights as a freshman in high school, her patience has brought her to finally prepare for her debut.

"That plays along with being able to meet the expectation that people have set for you but I like pressure," said Asenjo. "Pressure allows me to make myself better, allows me to push myself."

Asenjo and UCF women's soccer begin its season on Thursday, August 18 against Florida.