A few days before Friday’s game, Syracuse women’s lacrosse assistant coach John Battaglino sat down with attacker Katie Rowan to discuss her role on the team. Rowan entered the contest as the Orange’s leading point-scorer, but she needed reassurance heading into the stretch run.

Battaglino coached Rowan at Bethlehem Central (N.Y.) High School and thought she could play even better. His message: Be more assertive.

Apparently, the heart-to-heart worked.

Rowan tied school records with seven goals and 10 points in No. 11 Syracuse’s (8-4, 3-1 Big East) 21-12 win over No. 18 Rutgers (11-3, 2-2) Friday. In the process, Rowan became the ninth player in school history to amass 100 career points.

The sophomore hit triple digits in just 28 games, matching another school record as the quickest to reach the milestone.

‘I think she is very thoughtful of others, and part of that thoughtfulness is making sure everybody else is included in what we’re doing,’ Syracuse head coach Lisa Miller said. ‘But it’s OK to score seven goals, it’s OK to score 10 points. And everyone else will get their four, five.’

That’s exactly what happened Friday. At Battaglino’s request, Rowan asserted herself throughout the game. Like Miller predicted, eight other players also recorded at least one point. Seniors Jill DePetris and Kristin Brady even scored a hat trick apiece.

Even though other players played well, the night belonged to Rowan.

‘We certainly want that as a coaching staff,’ said Miller of Rowan’s generosity with the ball. ‘It’s really nice to have someone with that kind of talent who is that conscious of others. But it’s also about asserting.’

Though she did not score her first goal until almost 22 minutes into the game, Rowan came on fast. Syracuse exploded for a 14-3 halftime lead. When the buzzer sounded, Rowan had four goals.

Rowan came into the game with 97 points for her career. She earned her 100th on an unassisted goal with 1:56 remaining in the first half to put the Orange ahead, 10-2. An announcement over the Carrier Dome public address system signified the feat but did not acknowledge that Rowan needed so few games to accomplish it.

Until the postgame press conference, both Miller and Rowan were unaware Rowan tied three school records. Miller said she does not keep statistics on the sideline and did not realize Rowan had even scored seven goals. When told, Miller and the other four players at the podium applauded and offered Rowan their congratulations.

‘I think she attacked so much more today,’ DePetris said. ‘I think she definitely put it all out on the field, and I’m really proud of her.’

Syracuse’s offense has been lauded all season for its balance. The Orange has four players with at least 20 goals and two with at least 30. But Rowan has established herself as the unequivocal offensive standout. Her 51 points is 14 more than the next closest players, DePetris and freshman Halley Quillinan.

Despite Rowan’s commitment to offensive aggressiveness Friday, she still managed to utilize her passing ability. With three assists in the second half, Rowan increased her season total to 15 – second on the team, only behind DePetris’ 20.

The seven-goal performance may solidify Rowan’s place as the leading goal-scorer on one of the nation’s best offensive units. Syracuse has just three more regular-season games, and Rowan leads the team with 36 goals.

Quillinan led the team with 30 goals coming into the game – the two have gone back and forth all year – but the freshman connected for just two Friday.

Only in her second season, Rowan has the chance to completely rewrite the Syracuse record book. She already has the record for most goals (46) and points (56) as a freshman. If Rowan continues her pace, she will break the sophomore record for goals and points of 40 and 57, respectively.

Yet Rowan remains more concerned with helping her team advance past the first round of the NCAA tournament for the first time in school history, not her own success.

‘I’ve never really followed my own stats,’ Rowan said. ‘Seriously, I just don’t think about that kind of stuff.’

Published on April 14, 2007 at 12:00 pm