With every goal, Ashleigh Shoughro is making a statement. So far, the statements have been many.

Back to health and better than ever, the UNLV striker is enjoying a resurgent start to the season and reminding everyone of her enormous talents (we even missed her in our preseason Mountain West Top 20 Ranking, but have since recovered.

Having labored through a knee injury that limited her all last year, Shoughro has pounced on the 2010 campaign like a calculating lioness waiting anxiously in the weeds.

And you can ask Albany what it feels like to have been her prey. Shoughro faced the program back on Aug. 27 and delivered a memorable performance.

Perhaps making up for lost time, Shoughro lashed out with a school-record four goals, banging one last resounding gavel to signal that order, has in fact been restored.

“For me it’s an incredible accomplishment,” Shoughro said. “It’s something that I’ve envisioned but never thought it would happen. We have so many unselfish players all across the team. We pulled together and everything went so smoothly.”

I believe it’s called being in the zone. Shoughro is camping out there; so by now, it must feel like home. In five games she has six goals – tied for the Mountain West Conference lead. She has the Runnin’ Rebels off to a 4-1 start and appears poised to collect on all that she lost last season.

About last season: It happened during a road trip. Shoughro injured the knee. It was the left one. The one she uses to plant before she uncorks one of those missile shots of hers.     

Shoughro lost cartilage. She lost confidence. She lost the season.

Told by doctors that she couldn’t damage the knee further by playing but needed time off before she could heal completely, Shoughro only allowed herself a short break before trying to play on.

As a result, she endured a kind of stop-and-go campaign, was in and out of the lineup and never came close to being 100 percent healthy.

“More than anything I was frustrated that I couldn’t perform to my full capability to help my team win,” Shoughro said. “I felt like I let my team down because there were other players I was playing in front of who could have given their complete effort. There were a couple games where I tried to make a move and could not do it.”

For the season, a forgettable one, Shoughro made 15 appearances with just 12 starts and finished with two goals. More importantly, UNLV uncharacteristically failed to qualify for the Mountain West Tournament.

With the year behind her, Shoughro got some needed time for recuperation, taking two and half months off. When she finally did return to activity she paced herself by rehabbing and working with the ball before resuming full contact.

It was during spring drills when she realized she was completely ready to remove the training wheels.

“We were doing shooting drills, and I planted my left foot to shoot and felt completely solid. I knew then that I was back to full strength,” Shoughro said. “This year is a 100 percent turnaround in terms of how I feel and what I’m capable of.”

Shoughro has also made strides on the mental front, gaining a fresh perspective from last season’s experience.

“We seldom forget what we have as Division I athletes,” Shoughro said. “When I wasn’t able to do what I loved it made me realize how grateful I am for what I’m able to do.”