One of Syracuse’s best offensive weapons is a freshman who has played in ten games.

Kate Donovan has just four starts for Syracuse (5-4-2, 0-2-1 Atlantic Coast), but has found the back of the net three times, second on the team. Her speed and athleticism has prompted head coach Phil Wheddon to insert her into the lineup often despite the team’s depth at forward.

“She makes our job difficult as coaches … we have multiple attacking threats and she’s certainly developing into one of them” Wheddon said. “She’s really earned the opportunity to play”

Donovan began her playing career in elementary school and instantly dominated. Soon after she gained interest from local club teams and enrolled in Brooks (Massachusetts) School to polish her skills. She grew into a prolific scorer, finishing her career with 30 goals, eight assists and three All-Independent School League honors.

During her time at Brooks School, she tore her ACL before her junior season. After missing the year, Donovan returned and finished with a hat trick against St. George’s in her first game back. Donovan had “the complete package,” her high school coach Jaime Gilbert said.

“I’m really proud of what she’s doing at Syracuse,” Gilbert added. “I’ve always known she’s the player that she’s become and she’s going to continue to have a lot of success there.”

At Syracuse, it didn’t take time for her to settle in. In her fifth game against Cornell on Aug. 31, Donovan entered in the 25th minute. Just over 19 minutes later, Opal Curless hit a through ball to an unmarked Donovan. She corralled the ball, took two quick touches and fired past the Big Red’s Meghan Kennedy and into the back of the net for her first career goal. Nine minutes later, she headed a ball in for her second goal of the game.

“You need to be able to keep a level head,” sophomore and leading scorer Sydney Brackett said. “When you’re balancing all these different stressors coming in playing for a DI ACC school right away, she’s done a phenomenal job.”

Brackett and Donovan each had at least one season of Brooks School soccer, but Brackett transferred after her freshman year. The two also practiced together for four years while with their club team, FC Stars. The two never played together until they arrived at Syracuse because Brackett was a year older. Now, the two hold the No. 1 and 2 spots in goals scored for the Orange.

While with the Stars, the two would run through position drills, called functionals. There, 10 to 15 girls were grouped together based on position. That’s where Brackett and Donovan learned each other’s tendencies.

Since Donovan’s multi-goal performance, she has started four of the last six games and added a goal and four shots along the way. She’s a versatile athlete who has excelled at both midfield and forward, and she looks to develop into a core piece at Syracuse.

“I think it’s only the beginning,” Brackett said, “of a really successful freshman year.”

Published on October 1, 2017 at 8:01 pm