WLAX: One last chance
Katie Rowan can’t shake the thought of last year’s failure in the final four. Heading into the postseason, Rowan, then a junior attack and one of the nation’s top scorers, carried all the expectations of the Syracuse women’s lacrosse team in the stick resting on her shoulders.
By that time, Rowan had nearly shattered every scoring record in the program’s record books and had solidified herself as one of the best players in SU history. Last season, she led the nation with 142 total points and tied the NCAA single-season mark in assists with 69.
The only accolade missing from her glowing résumé was a national championship.
And at the time, that goal was within reach. All Rowan had to do was lead her team’s high-powered offense past Northwestern in the final four to receive a coveted opportunity to play for the title.
But it never came to fruition. The Wildcats shut out the nation’s leader in points, made her a non-factor by limiting her to only two shots on net and in the process walloped the Orange, 16-8, en route to its fourth consecutive championship.
Now, nine months since the devastating loss, Rowan is out for vengeance in her senior season.
‘I definitely use the game versus Northwestern last year as motivation,’ Rowan said. ‘Coming in as a freshman, every year we’ve grown and made it a little further in our season. Obviously, we were all very disappointed after the loss, but we want to use it as motivation to get there again, and play against them in the tournament again.’
In order to reach and exceed that goal, Rowan will have to answer the call in clutch situations – something she couldn’t achieve in two games against Northwestern in the NCAA tournament. Last year, the Wildcats defused the Orange’s offensive sparkplug, limiting her to a combined three shots and no goals. In 2007, when SU faced Northwestern in the quarterfinals, Rowan was held to a goal on six shots and two assists, numbers well below her season average.
Despite the questions surrounding Rowan’s performance down the stretch, Syracuse head coach, Gary Gait remains confident with his star player’s preparation. Gait refused to solely single out Rowan for her struggles against Northwestern and categorized the misstep as a team blunder.
‘I think she is outstanding in pressure games,’ Gait said. ‘Look at the quarterfinal game against North Carolina, she really stepped up and took over that game for us. The entire year she was a marked player and did great. I look at the setbacks she personally had against Northwestern as team setbacks. It was a team effort that affected her opportunities and how well she was able to do.’
Even with Gait’s reassuring support after the loss, Rowan couldn’t lose the bitter taste in her mouth. The mediocre showing continued to haunt her. So during the offseason, the Orange’s all-time leading scorer decided to add another dimension to her game.
With her offensive skills on point, Rowan began sharpening her rarely discussed defensive skills. From forcing turnovers to winning groundballs, she dedicated each day of her offseason to increasing her in-game awareness.
Then Rowan received the unique opportunity to showcase her newfound defensive identity playing with the U.S. women’s national team. Rowan was so impressive that the coaching staff named her to the final 18-person roster last week for the 2009 World Cup.
But those weren’t the only people that Rowan shocked. Fellow captain and defender Lindsay Rogers was also astounded by Rowan’s development coming into training camp and suggested that the two-time All-American’s future this season appeared to look brighter.
‘I don’t really know if she has a weakness,’ Rogers said. ‘She has picked up in every aspect of her game over the summer, and she’s doing really well. Every year she keeps getting better. Last year she was phenomenal, and I think it’s going to be even better this year.’
And that should bode well for Rowan’s road to redemption this season. The Orange will need its captain to anchor the team in pressure situations if it will have any chance of making another run to the final four.
Rowan believes she’s ready for another chance to silence the critics and lead SU past its contenders. In fact, she takes pleasure in carrying the responsibility and thrives to defend the Orange’s reputation.
‘I like having the best defender on me,’ Rowan said. ‘I take that as a challenge. It’s fun. That just means that other six girls on attack can step up. We have so many options. I try to lead by example everyday and I feel lucky to have the other girls. It’s fun when you have one of the other team’s best defenders on you.’
Gait consistently showers the reigning conference player of the year with praise. For the second consecutive season, he honored Rowan by appointing her as Syracuse’s captain. The gesture ultimately shows that the head coach’s confidence in his star player hasn’t wavered one bit despite last year’s postseason fallout.
‘It’s nice to see her develop,’ Gait said. ‘It’s always nice with Katie because she does it within a team game. That’s what makes a coach happy, when she can have her success but not at the cost of other players and playing a great team game. It’s nice to have Katie’s ability to do improve the team’s level of play.’
Now, Rowan desires vindication for her efforts. The statistics and award nominations aren’t cutting it. In her senior season, Rowan has only one objective left on her checklist – to turn last year’s failure into this year’s fulfillment of her legacy at Syracuse.
‘Being a national champion would be the best way to end my college career,’ Rowan said. The (statistics and awards) are great and I’m looking to continue it this year, but I want to go all the way.’
