During the most important part of the season, Rowan women’s lacrosse is on a roll. After going 4-7 to start the season, the Profs have won four straight games and sit at 4-1 in the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) standings.
All four of the games are a part of their winning streak against NJAC opponents. The latest school to fall was Stockton University, who was defeated by Rowan 20-13 on Tuesday, April 26.
Rowan kicked off the game by outscoring Stockton 6-2 in the first quarter. The tone was set early on by senior attack Elise Cohan, who had two goals and one assist in the first quarter.
Cohan has been on an offensive streak lately and has been at the forefront of the team’s latest success. She had six goals and two assists on the day against Stockton. Over the last four games, she is averaging over four goals a game with 17 in total.
“Realizing how close to the end it is, it is sad for me,” Cohan said. “The games are flying by and I am realizing how little time I have left. I’m just leaving it all out there.”
The fire and energy that Cohan has been playing with seems to be contagious, as her teammates have rallied behind her on this four-game win streak.
“As the season has gone on, we have started to see each other more and trust each other,” Cohan said. “It is all just starting to mold together perfectly. We had a few tough games in the beginning of the season, but I think that helped prepare us for these games. If we had it easy all the way through then we would not have been as prepared as we are now.”
That preparation is being showcased on both the scoreboard and box score, as Rowan has put up over 20 team goals in each of the last four games.
They have also been dominant in other categories of the field. Specifically, they have been successful in winning the draw control battle. Against Stockton, the team won 59% of the draw controls, which according to Head Coach Lindsay Delaney, is a major reason why they won that game.
“It is huge for us to win draw controls,” Coach Delaney said. “They automatically lead to more possessions, and we think that we can score every time we possess the ball. That is just our plan.”
While good offense and draw controls are essential to winning games in lacrosse, defense is equally as important. The success on the offensive end of the ball, though, seems to have given the defense the motivation they need to stand their ground.
“The defense has been a little more cohesive lately,” Coach Delaney said. “They have played smarter and it feels like we have allowed fewer shots in the last four games than we did in the first ten.”
With the team seemingly firing on all cylinders, expectations to make a run in the NJAC playoffs are as high as they have been all season. Will the team be able to continue their momentum and success in the NJAC?
Cohan and her teammates certainly feel that they will be able to, as the confidence is at a peak right now in the locker room.
“We’ve seen the best,” Cohan said. “And we know we can play against the best.”
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