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The Daily OrangeSTARTING STRONG: Rowan's 11 points lead Syracuse women's lacrosse past BU and into NCAA quarterfinals
By Conor Orr
Posted: 5/10/09, 8:53 PM EST Section: Sports
Liz Robertshaw tried marking Syracuse attack Katie Rowan with her biggest, most physical defender, but Rowan was even tougher. She tried supplementing the matchup with some of her fastest players, but Rowan was even quicker.
"She's very good at what she does," said Robertshaw, Boston University's head coach. "At times we doubled and our double-teams weren't even effective. She's very effective when she gets her nose to the cage, drops that shoulder and just goes. She's tough to stop."
By the end of the first half, with eight points to Rowan's name, Robertshaw was out of ideas and down eight goals. And it wouldn't get any better for the Terriers from there. The No. 7 seed Orange, led by Rowan's 11 points (five goals, six assists), dominated BU, 20-10, in the opening round of the NCAA tournament Sunday in front of 397 fans at the Carrier Dome. Syracuse advances to the quarterfinals, where it will take on No. 2 seed Maryland Saturday in College Park, Md.
"She's opportunistic," SU head coach Gary Gait said of Rowan. "She has great game sense, and that's really what makes her what she is - her ability to dodge hard to the goal, then her ability to pull up and find the open player, that's the key to her success. She's not just a goal scorer, she's not just a feeder, she's a great combination of both."
Rowan's 11 points in her final collegiate home game marked the second-highest total for any player in an NCAA tournament game. She also holds the No. 1 spot with 13, which she compiled in the first round last year against Towson.
From the opening minutes, Rowan discovered she would have free reign over an undersized Terriers defense, slicing through double- and triple-teams, sending the Terriers defense into a constant scramble.
"I really was able to think, 'This could be my last game,' and I really wanted to put it all on the field and try and lead the team to a victory so we could play another week together," Rowan said.
For Gait, Rowan's early success Sunday was all part of the plan. Gait said he intentionally called Rowan's number several times early on in the game to get his most dominant player's confidence up, hoping it would spark a strong overall performance.
"She's very good at what she does," said Robertshaw, Boston University's head coach. "At times we doubled and our double-teams weren't even effective. She's very effective when she gets her nose to the cage, drops that shoulder and just goes. She's tough to stop."
By the end of the first half, with eight points to Rowan's name, Robertshaw was out of ideas and down eight goals. And it wouldn't get any better for the Terriers from there. The No. 7 seed Orange, led by Rowan's 11 points (five goals, six assists), dominated BU, 20-10, in the opening round of the NCAA tournament Sunday in front of 397 fans at the Carrier Dome. Syracuse advances to the quarterfinals, where it will take on No. 2 seed Maryland Saturday in College Park, Md.
"She's opportunistic," SU head coach Gary Gait said of Rowan. "She has great game sense, and that's really what makes her what she is - her ability to dodge hard to the goal, then her ability to pull up and find the open player, that's the key to her success. She's not just a goal scorer, she's not just a feeder, she's a great combination of both."
Rowan's 11 points in her final collegiate home game marked the second-highest total for any player in an NCAA tournament game. She also holds the No. 1 spot with 13, which she compiled in the first round last year against Towson.
From the opening minutes, Rowan discovered she would have free reign over an undersized Terriers defense, slicing through double- and triple-teams, sending the Terriers defense into a constant scramble.
"I really was able to think, 'This could be my last game,' and I really wanted to put it all on the field and try and lead the team to a victory so we could play another week together," Rowan said.
For Gait, Rowan's early success Sunday was all part of the plan. Gait said he intentionally called Rowan's number several times early on in the game to get his most dominant player's confidence up, hoping it would spark a strong overall performance.
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