Soccer, Lacrosse
Favorite athletes: Trinity Rodman/ Tyrese Maxey
Favorite teams: USWNT/ Sixers
Favorite memory competing in sports: Bus rides screaming songs with the team
Most embarrassing/funniest thing that happened while competing in sports: My friend, Keira, falling down the hill before a game
Music on playlist: Rap, Indie and 80s
Future plans: Continuing soccer career at Holy Family and studying biochemistry
Favorite quote: “You only live once.”
One goal before turning 30: Travel the world
One thing people don’t know about me: I used to be a theater kid
By Mary Jane Souder
Natural leader. Tireless work ethic. Ability to motivate. Love of the game. Compassion for the team. Non-stop motor. High soccer IQ.
All are phrases used to describe Kenna Rozanski by coaches of the Lower Moreland senior. So, it’s hardly a surprise that Rozanski fell effortlessly into her role as captain. She’s a two-year captain of the soccer team and will be a two-year captain of the lacrosse team this spring.
“She’s the first and only – since I have been here – that we’ve had an underclassmen captain,” LM girls’ soccer coach Todd Hill said. “She loves soccer, she’s played her whole life, and she works really, really hard at it.
“She has this really cool combination of love of the game, a strong leader and has a sweet compassion for the team. It’s not all about her. She’s always thinking beyond herself – how can we help the team, how can we include girls.
“The girls do pasta parties together. She does a lot of the Instagram work – how can we honor the girls that scored this week and things like that.”
Rozanski – who will take her soccer talents to Holy Family University next fall - enjoys being in a leadership role.
“I have a very strong voice,” she said. “I really like to use my experience and my soccer IQ to help everyone else out and just basically explain what I see. Communication is the biggest part.”
Hill has welcomed his two-year captain’s input, and when asked how important Rozanski’s role has been in the Lions’ success, he doesn’t hesitate.
“I don’t want to overstate it, but invaluable comes to mind,” the LM soccer coach said. “We’re in these growing pains where we’re trying to have a JV team, which is spreading us thin both body-wise and coach-wise.
“There’s only two of us coaches, so my assistant coach has to go off and coach the JV team during our games, and so, even now, normally during halftime, the coaches will gather, and we’ll brainstorm together – go over things we need to do.
“Last game, Kenna literally walks up and is verbally processing the game with me – ‘Hey, here’s the things we need to work on this half,’ and that is so helpful for me to just have another soccer mind that said, ‘Let’s talk about it.’ It’s leadership stuff, and her ideas are great, so I’m like – ‘Let’s do that.’”
Lower Moreland lacrosse coach Steve Wittmer also has high praise for his captain.
“As a junior captain, she has consistently demonstrated her ability to motivate her teammates, fostering a positive and collaborative environment both on and off the field,” the LM coach said. “Her relentless determination during practices and games has not only contributed to her personal success but has also been instrumental in the overall growth of our program. She leads by example, inspiring her teammates to reach their full potential.”
Soccer from the start
Rozanski has been at home on the soccer pitch since she got her first taste of the sport when she played for an in-house league at the age of five. One year later, she joined a travel team.
“Ever since then, I’ve been playing soccer,” said Rozanski, who plays club soccer for Huntingdon Valley Athletic Association. “I ran track when I was in first and second grade. I played a bit of basketball in middle school. In high school, I also played lacrosse all four years.”
Soccer, it turns out, hasn’t exactly been a family affair.
“Actually, no one in my family except my younger sister plays it, but she only played because of me,” Rozanski said. “I have an older sister – she’s 11 years older than me. She actually was really into cheerleading, so that’s what she did.
“My mom and sister were both cheerleaders, but that just wasn’t my thing. I’m not that flexible. It wouldn’t have worked out with me.”
So, what made soccer the perfect fit?
“For me, it was really about the whole team aspect, and it was a big stress reliever,” Rozanski said. “So, any time I needed to get my mind off something – soccer was always the perfect thing for that. I really enjoyed the whole way the game was played.”
A four-year starter for the Lower Moreland varsity, Rozanski anchors the midfield where she not only brings leadership but also an outstanding skillset.
“Her head’s up, and she sees the field,” Hill said. “I’m quite confident she’s our leading assist getter, and maybe that was the case last year as well.
“She actually has an incredible shot, so she should be scoring more goals than she is, but more often than not, she’s looking to distribute the ball and find someone that’s open, and she ends up getting more assists than goals.”
There’s also the not-so-little-matter of Rozanski’s motor.
“I rarely, rarely take her out of the game,” Hill said. “She’s in a position where it requires constant motion, and she just goes, and I feel like she sets the pace for us, so that motor piece is the thing that keeps energy in the game.
“She ends up playing in the space where some of the best players are playing, so it’s not like she can take some time off.”
The Lions have won the SOL Freedom Division title in two of the last three years.
“It’s been very rewarding,” Rozanski said. “We won the division freshman and sophomore years.
“Last year, it was a few bumps in the road, and we didn’t win the division. We actually finished third. This year, we’re back on track.”
Lacrosse enters the picture
Rozanski got her first taste of lacrosse her freshman year, and both the team and the senior captain have shown marked improvement.
“We actually made history last year,” Rozanski said. “We don’t have a middle school program, so everyone goes into freshman year their first time playing.
“Usually, we were the type of program where we only would have one win in a year. Last year we won eight, which was pretty impressive.”
Wittmer has had a front row seat to Rozanski’s development.
“As a freshman, she was new to the sport, which made her quick progress all the more impressive,” the LM girls’ lacrosse coach said. “Over the past three years, I have witnessed her transformation into an accomplished player. Her commitment to improvement is evident in her tireless work ethic and unwavering drive.”
The Lions won just three games in Rozanski’s freshman and sophomore years combined.
What changed?
“I honestly think it was the drive to win and just the effort,” the senior captain said. “We do have a few more girls now that have played on club teams, so a lot of it was some help from underclassmen. We had a pretty athletic team last year.
“It’s something I’ve seen lots of progress in me, especially since I just started freshman year. It’s also good because I like how it keeps me fit for soccer.”
Looking ahead
Playing soccer at the collegiate level has been a goal for Rozanski since freshman year. In the end, it came down to Holy Family and Thomas Jefferson University. Holy Family felt like the right choice.
“Holy Family reached out to me first because I was on their radar,” she said. “I really clicked with the coach, and of all the schools I talked to – (coach Jill Reeves) was the one that I felt most comfortable with, and I felt very welcomed there.”
Rozanski also excels in the classroom, boasting a 5.4 GPA while taking all AP and honors classes.
With an interest in science, Rozanski – who took AP Biology last year and is taking AP Chemistry this year – plans to major in biochemistry.
In addition to soccer and lacrosse, Rozanski was part of the Future Business Leaders of America and advanced to the state competition freshman and sophomore years, qualifying for nationals sophomore year.
She also is active in her community, coaching through her soccer club and working summer camps as a coach.
For Rozanski, competing in sports has been about a whole lot more than wins and losses.
“I feel like just the connections I made with friends and things like that – all the team bonding stuff we do,” she said. “It kind of gives me a sense of purpose. There are people that are in drama or band or something like that. I feel like athletics has been the place for me. It’s where I’m the best at what I do. I was never good at art and stuff like that. Athletics is something I actually shine at.”
And it's been a perfect fit for the two-sport captain.
“I have had the pleasure of coaching Kenna in the game of lacrosse since her freshman year,” Wittmer said. “I can confidently say that she is an exceptional young woman who embodies the qualities of a dedicated athlete and a natural leader.”
*Photos courtesy of Greg Zesinger
