Last Wednesday No. 7 Syracuse was embarrassed by No. 11 Dartmouth on its home field. What was just as surprising was the fact that Ladouceur, the nation’s leader in scoring average with 5.6 points per game, was limited to just one point.

Four days later, it seems as if all is back to normal. For both SU and Ladouceur. Syracuse’s (5-3, 1-0 Big East) offense was stellar in a 17-10 victory against Rutgers (6-3, 0-2) Sunday as Ladouceur steered the offense all game.

The junior attack had six points on the day, scoring five goals and adding an assist. With SU in desperate need of a win following two consecutive losses, Ladouceur was at the forefront of a balanced offensive attack right from the start. All of her points came in the first half, the highlight of which was a free-position goal with 55 seconds remaining. The goal gave the Orange a commanding 12-4 cushion.

‘She really stepped up,’ senior attack Jackie DePetris said. ‘Not only was she scoring, but she was helping everyone else score. We all trust her with the ball, and we all trust her when she’s behind. She’s a leader on attack — she tells us what play we’re running or what we’re doing or where we have to go.’

Ladouceur is primarily known for her field vision and her tremendous passing ability. At the start of last week, Ladouceur was first in the nation in assists, assists per game and points per game. Though she is a fairly consistent goal-scorer, many of her points come from her knack for finding teammates in prime positions.

But Sunday, she demonstrated why she is one of the most dangerous offensive players in the nation. Aside from a picture-perfect dish to senior midfielder Christina Dove that led to a goal, Ladouceur completely took over the game in certain stretches. She owned the first half.

Over a four-minute span, Ladouceur scored three goals, one of which was heaved 75 yards by goalkeeper Liz Hogan. Hogan fired the ball down the field and Ladouceur scooped it up as she blazed toward the goal and whipped it into the net.

‘Tee gets most of her points from assists, but this year it’s kind of been 50-50,’ senior midfielder Halley Quillinan said. ‘In our big games she’s been our big goal-scorer a lot of the times. I think that she sees the field very well and is a smart attacker. And today it just shows that she can dish out the ball and she can dish it in the goal. She’s one of the best players I’ve ever played with.’

In addition to padding her stat sheet, Ladouceur’s presence both on the field and on the sidelines seems to motivate her teammates. And maybe more importantly, her knowledge of the team’s offense helps SU get properly situated. Because head coach Gary Gait isn’t out on the field with his team, there is only so much he can do once the whistle blows.

And that is why it is critical for him to have a player like Ladouceur — someone who can communicate with the team on the field and organize the offensive attack.

Though heading into the season many considered her less dangerous than the likes of Dove and Quillinan, her importance to this team was in full display at the Carrier Dome Sunday.

‘Ladouceur has not only stepped up on the field, but also settles the offense and makes sure that we know what plays we’re running,’ Gait said. ‘She takes on the role as a leader and a quarterback from behind the cage, and we’ll look for her to continue that.’

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Published on March 28, 2010 at 12:00 pm