Bridget Daley has seen the sequence time after time. Tee Ladouceur finds Halley Quillinan, and before you know it, the ball is in the back of the net.

‘518 Bethlehem connection,’ Daley said to Ladouceur after the goal was scored.

It was one of the first connections the duo had made all season, but it had happened plenty of times before. After all, junior attack Ladouceur and senior midfielder Quillinan played high school lacrosse together at Bethlehem Central High School in Delmar, NY.

Ladouceur and Quillinan will look to continue their connection when No. 11 Syracuse (10-4, 4-1) travels to Cincinnati Friday to take on the Bearcats (7-5, 2-4). The duo will seek to extend SU’s recent four-game winning streak.

There has always appeared to be a stream of talent coming from Bethlehem Central High School, located just outside Albany. Ladouceur and Quillinan played with SU alumni and all-time leading scorer Katie Rowan there as well.

‘I think (Rowan and Ladouceur) are two of the best players I’ve played with at Syracuse, and it’s kind of interesting that I got to play with them at high school,’ Quillinan said. ‘We always used to joke around Katie was the right hand, I was the left hand and Tee was both.’

Ladouceur decided to stay close to home and play her collegiate lacrosse at Albany, about 15 minutes from the school where she grew up.

But after a season of wearing purple and gold, she decided she was more comfortable wearing Orange, both Bethlehem Central High School and Syracuse’s primary color.

So she contacted SU head coach Gary Gait about transferring, and eventually Rowan, Quillinan and Ladouceur were reunited for the 2009 season.

‘I watched them all of the time even when I was at Albany,’ Ladoucer said. ‘It was like ‘oh I want to be a part of that,’ it’s cool, they win games. They have fun and they’re learning so much from Coach Gait and being at a top program was something I wanted.’

In limited time last season, Ladouceur was able to rekindle some of the chemistry with her high school teammates. During last season’s game against Cincinnati, Ladouceur dished out an assist in both Rowan and Quillinan’s direction.

Quillinan and Ladouceur have seen a resurgence even more so this season. Ladoucuer has 31 assists and Quillinan has 31 goals.

Ironic? Maybe.

But in high school it was no different. Ladouceur gave Quillinan a look, and she knew what to do from there. Cut to the goal or move to the ball.

‘I think it’s awesome especially in my junior season in high school, I think I had 60 assists and about 59 of them went to her,’ Ladouceur said. ‘I just always know where she is going to be.’

A relationship has been forged between the two Orange teammates. After playing together for nearly seven seasons they have developed an eerie ability to know where the other is on the field.

The two have grown up together and have witnessed all of their achievements. Both are now playing their best lacrosse of the season and have contributed to each other’s successes.

‘Seeing her grow over the course of being in eighth grade and then being a junior in college it’s just pretty tremendous,’ Quillinan said. ‘Every single year she’s just been spectacular and the things we’ve seen out of her this season, you’re going to see more.’

Although only one Bethlehem graduate will remain after this season Quillinan is seeking to share a championship with Ladouceur one more time.

Gait knows this.

‘She’ll be missed after the season but I think she has some unfinished business,’ Gait said. ‘She’s the type of athlete that gives everything she has to fight for a national championship.’

 

adtredin@syr.edu

Published on April 21, 2010 at 12:00 pm