If anyone is wondering how the Syracuse University women’s lacrosse team went from also-ran to national championship contender in three years, look no farther than the town of Bethlehem.
Three important pieces of this year’s Orange junior attacker Katie Rowan, sophomore attacker Halley Quillinan and assistant coach John Battaglino once worked together to bring the Bethlehem Central High School varsity girls lacrosse team to the state championship game.
Now, that same trio is hoping to bring Syracuse to its first national championship game.
`I think we have a shot, and it’s really exciting,` said Quillinan. `But it’s a long season.`
`We’re right there,` said Battaglino. `We just need some more depth, and we’re there.`
The Orange turned heads last year when they won the Big East title and reached the NCAA tournament quarterfinals. That led to a No. 5 national ranking entering the 2008 season, the first time the Orange had been ranked that high to start the year.
`It’s definitely exciting but we don’t want to focus on that,` said Rowan. `We just want to improve each game.`
`You can’t read too much into the rankings, but we’re honored to be regarded so highly,` added Quillinan.
Rowan and Quillinan were a big part of Syracuse’s success last year, as the duo combined for 109 goals and 34 assists. Rowan set school records in points (86) and goals in a season (59), while Quillinan set a freshman record for goals in a season (50) ` a mark Rowan previously held.
`Katie had a tremendous freshman season, and no one can take that away from her,` said Quillinan. `But the team on the whole was better with her. Half of my goals were probably assisted by her.`
`Whatever I could do to help her,` added Rowan with a laugh. `But obviously, she’s a great player. Lefties are hard to defend in the first place, but she’s very good at going to the goal and shooting.`
Rowan and Quillinan exhibited those same qualities as part of a Bethlehem juggernaut that won eight con-secutive Section II, Division I titles ` most of which while Battaglino was head coach.
`They help each other,` said Battaglino, who coached Bethlehem from 1995 to 2004. `They don’t even look at how many goals they score. Katie will tell you she scores the quietest goals.`
`We work very well together,` said Rowan. `We have a really strong connection, and it’s great that it’s grown even stronger.`
Even first-year Syracuse coach Gary Gait ` considered to be one of the greatest men’s lacrosse players of all time ` sees a special connection between Rowan and Quillinan.
`Their play indicates they had great high school coaching and developed well as players before they arrived at Syracuse,` said Gait.
The first piece for Syracuse’s success came when Battaglino joined the coaching staff after guiding Bethlehem to its third consecutive state final four appearance in 2004. Taking the offensive schemes he used with the Lady Eagles to central New York, Battaglino set about improving the Orange attack. But it wasn’t easy.
`You need the players to make the system work, so the players are the first thing you need,` said Battaglino.
If ever there was a player Battaglino could rely on to improve Syracuse’s offense, it was Rowan. In 2005, Rowan scored 56 goals and assisted on 76 more to help Dawn Austin’s Lady Eagles win another Sectional title and get to the state finals.
Still when Rowan arrived at Syracuse before the 2006 season, she didn’t know how much of an impact she would make ` even though she played in Battaglino’s up-tempo offensive system her entire high school career.
`Going into it, you’re not sure how things are going to work out,` said Rowan. `I really wanted to step up and help in any way that I could.`
Rowan helped out in a big way her freshman season. She led Syracuse with 56 points on 46 goals and 10 assists as the Orange moved near the front of the Big East pack.
The final piece of the puzzle was bringing Quillinan to Syracuse. Quillinan had already proven to be one of the top goal scorers in high school, having accumulated 298 goals in her varsity career ` 101 in her senior season alone. Given Quillinan’s familiarity with Battaglino’s offense and Rowan’s abilities, it was natural to think she would pick up right where she left off when she graduated from Bethlehem in 2006.
`You try to put her in areas of the field where she feels comfortable (shooting the ball),` said Battaglino. `I had no doubt in my mind she could strike from certain areas of the field.`
`He knows where Katie and I ` and the rest of the girls ` play best, and he puts us in those positions,` said Quillinan.
It didn’t take long for Quillinan to make an impact. She had three five-goal games and six hat tricks on her way to breaking Rowan’s freshman record for goals.
Quillinan’s presence also benefited Rowan, as she found herself being freed up for her own drives to the goal while opposing defenses struggled to stop Syracuse’s high-octane offense.
`Last year at the beginning of the season, I saw my role as a passer (first),` said Rowan. `But after talking to the coaches, I realized I had to start going to the goal.`
`Rowan has great skills,` said Gait. `She’s a great dodger and a strong shooter. She has a great awareness for the game.`
The success has carried over to the first four games of this season. Rowan has 13 goals and 10 assists ` including a season-opening 6-goal, 3-assist performance in a 24-3 victory over Canisius ` and Quillinan has 13 goals. Those early performances have helped place Rowan and Quillinan on the Tewaaraton Trophy watch list for college lacrosse’s highest honor.
More importantly for Rowan and Quillinan, Syracuse is off to a 3-1 start, with its only loss coming against No. 2 ranked Virginia. If the Orange continue taking care of business in the Big East, they could find themselves with a high seed for the NCAA Tournament.
`Obviously, the national championship is the main priority,` said Rowan. `I don’t even pay attention to the individual statistics.`
One place Rowan, Quillinan, Battaglino and the rest of the Syracuse women’s lacrosse team will find itself this season is in the Capital District. The Orange are scheduled to play the University at Albany Great Danes ` featuring former Bethlehem players Tricia Primomo, Mackenzie Riegel, Caitlin Nevins and Tee Ladouceur, along with Guilderland graduates Nikki Branchini and Kayla Best ` April 2 at UAlbany.
`I think we’re all really excited,` said Rowan. `Hopefully, we’ll get some fans over from Delmar.`
`I still consider that home, so I go back as often as I can,` added Battaglino. `There’s some phenomenal people there.`
So if you want to see in person how far the Syracuse women’s lacrosse team has come with Katie Rowan, Halley Quillinan and John Battaglino, come to UAlbany in three weeks.“