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.

The plan worked. Rowan was involved in three of the team’s first four goals. Off a free possession less than five minutes into the game, Rowan jetted a pass to a streaking Bridget Looney, breaking a 1-1 tie. Her drives forced the Terriers to foul, and once she was in position, Rowan spearheaded an effort that allowed the team to capitalize on four of its five free-possession opportunities.

With 12 minutes remaining in the opening half and the Terriers already on their heels, Rowan effectively delivered the knockout blow with a pair of goals just one minute apart.

After taking a pass at the top of the circle, Rowan drove on BU’s Corcoran Downey and ran into a wall with two more Terrier defenders waiting. But instead of passing, Rowan muscled over the clog and beat goalie Rachel Klein top shelf.

The next minute, Rowan struck again, coming from behind the net and whipping another goal into the top corner.

Rowan wasn’t the only one benefiting from her record-setting day, though. The early points drew defenders away from the already dangerous attacking core of Christina Dove, Bridget Looney and Halley Quillinan. The result was more than satisfactory for the trio: Dove and Quillinan each finished with a hat trick, while Looney tied her career high with four goals.

After the game, while reflecting on tying a career high in her final home game, Looney couldn’t help but think how much she enjoys Rowan’s good games. Most of the time, it means a good game for Looney, too.

‘Ahh, it’s great,’ Looney said. ‘When she has confidence in herself to go hard and take that defender it opens everyone else up and she’s also good with her assists so she’s able to get the ball out to other people.’

ctorr@syr.edu

Published on May 13, 2009 at 12:00 pm