New Haven soccer goalie James Hilaire nearly died from a freakish on-field accident last September, but once he recovered enough to consider his future path, one of the first things he wanted to do was reach out to the opponent who was suffering along with him.

In the second half of New Haven’s game against Merrimack last fall, Hilaire charged out to block an attempt from the charging Robbie Sabadoz, but as Hilaire dove for the ball, Sabadoz was in mid-swing and hit Hilaire’s jaw.

As Hilaire laid motionless, Sabadoz and the rest of the players and coaches began to realize this was no ordinary injury. After being taken in an ambulance to a local hospital where doctors told New Haven officials that Hilaire might not survive, the senior goalkeeper was life-flighted to Boston Medical Center and induced into a coma.

After months of recovery, Hilaire staged an emotional reunion with Sabadoz to make sure the Merrimack freshman wasn’t blaming himself for the accident “that could have happened to anybody.”

New Haven Athletics Director Debbie Chin and Sports Information Director Andrew Beardsley helped Champion magazine compile a video of the reunion that supplements a more in-depth story about Hilaire’s remarkable recovery. (To watch the video, hold the cursor over the video icon below the photo on the left-facing page of the magazine spread.)