Graduate student defender Katie Lowe had an opportunity to return to Elon University’s women’s soccer team for a fifth year after being granted another year of eligibility with COVID-19, and now Lowe wants to take advantage of the chance to suit up one more time.
“After the opportunity to have a COVID year, I kind of wanted to continue playing as long as I could,” Lowe said.
Lowe has already accomplished a lot for Elon’s women’s soccer team. As a freshman, Lowe helped them win their first CAA Championship and made CAA All-Rookie Team.
Lowe’s value to the team continued to progress in her junior year where she led the team in minutes played with 1,460 while starting 16 out of 17 games. In her senior season, Lowe was named team captain. She was recently selected to her third Preseason All-CAA honorable mention team.
However, Lowe said she feels like there’s still unfinished business. She cited last year’s 3-9 record as one reason why she’s coming back.
“I wasn’t really satisfied with how our season went last year,” Lowe said. “I wanted to get a chance to get back on not necessarily the level of play that we had freshman year, but just the enjoyment of being part of a CAA championship team.”
Lowe said she also hopes to give guidance to some of the younger players. She said she feels that it is her responsibility to be a mentor and for it to not just take place on the field.
“As a veteran, I just want to help out this younger team as much as possible in whatever role that’s needed,” Lowe said. “I want to be someone they can ask for advice and talk to about anything.”
Coach Neil Payne said he believes Lowe’s experience will be beneficial for the team as a whole. He recognized Lowe as someone who can help most newcomers adapt to college soccer.
“She will be a big asset for the younger players and trying to integrate them not only into the program, but helping them with the transition into college soccer,” Payne said.
Lowe is the only graduate student on a team that has five seniors and seven freshmen.
Lowe’s desire to return was additionally fueled by the friendships she formed with her teammates and coaches. She described the team as a family and wished to be with those people for one more year.
“We’re all there for each other,” Lowe said. “They’ve all been so supportive in everything that I’ve done and it’s nice to be around that system.”
Going into this year, Lowe said she is looking to maintain a leadership role even though she won’t be captain. She wants to remain an integral part of the program through her on-field performance.
“I know I’m not necessarily captain anymore, but I still want to be that leader,” Lowe said. “I don’t have to be the most vocal, but I do want to be a stable piece of the team and contribute in that way.”
Lowe said she feels like she is capable of offering more to the team. She said she believes she could have an even bigger impact defensively. Last season, Elon allowed the fifth most goals among CAA teams according to CAA Women’s Soccer Stats.
“I would definitely like to be more of a staple in the backline,” Lowe said. “I think I had a lot of own goals last year so I definitely would like to not have as many of those. I also want to be a force in the box.”
Payne is already familiar with Lowe's ability to set a standard through her play. He said he admires her ability to let her play speak for itself.
“She’s a very competitive player that quietly goes about her business,” Payne said. “She’s always been pretty good at sending these subtle messages to the rest of the team without actually announcing or bragging about anything.”
He additionally stated how Lowe immediately made an impact on the team as a freshman and has continued to grow as a player.
“She earned the respect of players immediately,” Payne said. “She’s a lot more confident as a player now then when she first arrived. When we’re in games where we are under pressure, that’s where Katie’s experience comes in.”
Lowe said she believes it’s important for younger players to embrace their role on the team and to make the most of their time at Elon.
“Don’t try to be something you’re not,” Lowe said. “Keep it simple and do what you know how to do and just enjoy it because it does go by pretty fast.”