When the Northwestern defeated Virginia 13-10 last May to win the national championship, then-junior Laura Glassanos cried and celebrated alongside her teammates.
Glassanos earned the right to be there. She was a second-team IWLCA All-American, first-team All-Region and ranked third on the team in points with 63.
But her season ended prematurely. An injury in the final game of the regular season forced Glassanos out of NCAAs, keeping her on the sidelines for the duration of the tournament.
“Obviously it was bummer,” Glassanos said, “But I think I came into a new role. (I was) just trying to support everyone and not show them that I was down, and keep everyone fired up.”
Left with the summer to brood, Glassanos could have grown bitter or spiteful. Instead, she saw senior season as an opportunity – a final chance to fully share in the excitement her teammates had experienced the previous year.
“Personally, I think as bad as it seems, sometimes it does take an injury to sort of realize what you have,” Glassanos said last month. “And being my senior year, I’m like, ‘I don’t want to miss the NCAA Tournament again.’ I just want to go out there and have a great season. I think the excitement this year for me more than ever is I’m just excited to play out my career.”
So it’s no surprise that Glassanos, with one more opportunity to win the national championship, is leading the charge.
It’s a task that she’s certainly capable of. Glassanos entered the season ranked in the top-10 among NU’s all-time leaders in both goals and assists, and is seventh in points with 135.
“I think she’s a well-rounded player,” coach Kelly Amonte Hiller said. “She can pass, she can shoot, she can score, and she’s very strong out there. She’s a big target, so she creates a lot of attention, and in essence a lot of the times that opens things up for other people.”
Now a senior, Glassanos is a vital part of the No. 1 Wildcats’ lethal offensive assault. Her 28 goals tie her for second on the team.
Glassanos is by all accounts a true team leader both with her play and attitude on the field.
“She’s one of the most fun players on the team,” freshman Hannah Nielsen said. “She’s having a really good season, and she’s so supportive on the field, supportive to every-body.”
Her leadership proved valuable once again this past Sunday. Down one to Connecticut early in the second half, Glassanos scored four goals and three assists to spearhead NU’s comeback victory.
It’s the kind of play that teammates have come to expect out of Glassanos.
“She’s a huge leader on the attack,” junior Aly Josephs said. “I just think that when she comes out strong, everyone else comes out strong, too. And I think everyone looks to her to make big plays.”
It was with that win against Connecticut that the Cats enter this Friday’s showdown at No. 4 Duke riding a 31-game win streak that extends to the start of last season.
When asked about the upcoming matchup, it was clear that the enthusiasm with which Glassanos started the year is still there.
“I’m so excited for Friday night,” Glassanos said. “It’s going to be an amazing atmosphere. I feel like this will be a true test of what’s coming for the rest of the season.
“It’s gonna be a bloodbath.”
Reach Ben Larrison at [email protected].
