Last season, Tee Ladouceur scored 43 goals and had 48 assists. Her assist mark was first on the team. The 43 goals were third on the Syracuse women’s lacrosse team, behind only Christina Dove.

And Ladouceur, a senior SU attack, did it all on one good knee. She said she tore her meniscus and had microfractures and bone chips in her knee and femur.

‘It was frustrating sometimes,’ Ladouceur said, ‘but in games I think the adrenaline kind of kicked in enough to help me be able to play at my best.’

Now Dove is gone. And in the cycle of recent great SU attack, Ladouceur is expected to be next.

With Dove — who took over for 2009 leading scorer Katie Rowan — departed, there is a void in the lineup. One fellow attack Michelle Tumolo believes Ladouceur can fill. Even with her gimpy knees.

‘She’s coming off a (knee) injury, as everyone knows, and she’s just hyped to get back on the field,’ Tumolo said. ‘She just has a great mentality and game sense, and she’s awesome at scoring goals. So I feel like she’s going to be No. 1 in the nation in scoring and assists.’

Ladouceur feels the increased expectations. After last season’s NCAA tournament semifinal loss, the Orange is eager for more. And Ladouceur is the player who has to start it all.

Head coach Gary Gait knows Ladouceur has the ability to improve from last season, when she was first in the nation in assists. Especially if her knee holds up.

‘We’re expecting her to do what she did last year,’ Gait said. ‘And that was being an all-around offensive player and scoring when she gets the opportunity. So we’re expecting her to continue to do that, step up her leadership role a little bit, kind of take charge on the offense, get some of our younger players involved and get them contributing.’

But if the senior is to make any waves this season, that troubled knee may be the key.

Ladouceur had surgery over the summer on it after playing last season in pain. Yet it still is not 100 percent.

‘She played last year,’ Tumolo said. ‘Hurt her the whole time. She played through it, went to the doctor’s, and they said she had, like, all these fractures in her knee. Everything basically in her knee. She basically needs a knee replacement.

‘That’s what she told me. She’s like, ‘I basically need a knee replacement at the age of 21.’ But she’s still playing through it. It’s her last year. Never complains.’

Yet despite the knee injury, despite the brace and despite missing significant playing time in fall ball, Ladouceur is still expected to be the leader of the SU attack after her increased offensive role last season. And despite her numbers, she remains humble. She knows who has come before her.

Ladouceur will look to become the third player in three years to lead the Orange attack.

‘Those are two very, very great players,’ Ladouceur said of Dove and Rowan. ‘Two of the best players I’ve ever played with.’

And though Ladouceur will be relied upon for much of the scoring output, not every expectation is on her and her knee. Tumolo is coming off of a record season herself. Last year she had the highest single-season totals in points and assists for a freshman in program history.

Fellow attack Alyssa Murray, a freshman, is also expected to help out on the offensive end. And then there’s goalkeeper Liz Hogan, who was just chosen as the Big East Women’s Lacrosse Preseason Defensive Player of the Year. The Orange is ranked No. 5 in Inside Lacrosse’s preseason poll.

‘I think you’re going to see more of a spread-out offense,’ Gait said. ‘Multiple scorers, as opposed to having Katie Rowan or Christina Dove — one or two players — to deal with pretty much all the scoring. So it will be a different look this year.’

But Ladouceur is still the senior. She’s still the leader. She knows that in addition to stepping up her game, she must also display a leadership role for a team with eight freshmen and 11 sophomores.

Tumolo said the way Ladouceur works with her teammates is what makes her valuable to the Orange.

‘Me and her work really well together, so that’s a plus,’ Tumolo said. ‘She just sees everyone on the field. It’s not just me and her. She sees every single person.

‘That’s why she’s one of the best assisters in the nation. She’s just great. She’s great to have on the field, and she’s a positive energy.’

Yet it wasn’t so long ago that Ladouceur was channeling that positive energy for a different team. She came to Syracuse as a sophomore transfer following a freshman season at Albany in which she scored 32 goals in only 11 games. In her first season at Syracuse, Rowan was SU’s leader at attack. Then last year, it was Dove.

Now Ladouceur is that senior. She is likely to claim the perch on SU’s legacy of outstanding attack. And she knows it.

‘This year I’m going to have to have an even bigger role, so it’s sort of a good feeling,’ Ladouceur said. ‘But I’m a little nervous at the same time and excited. I’m a senior, I’m ready to make things happen and hopefully get a national championship out of it.’

Gait and Tumolo continually praise Ladouceur’s hard work and commitment to the team despite her injury. They mention her willingness to continue to play hard. Her ability to make plays happen on the field.

Tumolo knows Ladouceur and the team have big shoes to fill. Someone must step up. And Tumolo thinks Ladouceur has the ability to be that person.

‘I think Tee looks awesome coming off a couple injuries,’ Tumolo said. ‘I said it to her as soon as we were practicing for the first time together again. It’s just great to have her back on the field.

‘She’s a great threat, and the other teams are definitely going to have to look out for her.’

rnmarcus@syr.edu

Published on February 16, 2011 at 12:00 pm

Contact Rachel: rnmarcus@syr.edu