School: Pennsbury
Lacrosse
Favorite athlete: DeSean Jackson
Favorite team: Eagles
Favorite memory competing in sports: Summer tournament weekends with my Ultimate Goal Lacrosse Team!
Most embarrassing/funniest thing that has happened while competing in sports: I was at a tournament one summer and accidentally walked in on someone in a port-a-potty twice in the same day. My friends still haven’t let me forget.
Music on iPod: Bob Dylan, Vampire, Weekend, Beyonce, Simon and Garfunkel, Dispatch, Blink-182, Dave Matthews, and much more
Future plans: Go to college, have a great job, and travel the world
Words to live by: ‘Whatever you are, be a good one.’
One goal before turning 30: Go BASE jumping
One thing people don’t know about me: I love classical music.
Liz Cowley should be an ambassador for the sport of lacrosse.
It’s impossible to miss the joy in her voice when the Pennsbury senior talks about a sport that is her passion.
“Honestly, I have been playing lacrosse since I can remember,” Cowley said. “I like the fast-paced nature of the game.
“I love how it’s played, and I love how it’s grown into such a popular sport. It obviously isn’t the easiest sport to pick up, but once you get into it, it’s something you can’t stop doing.”
Cowley doesn’t just love the sport, she also excels at it. A second team all-league selection and team MVP last year, the two-year captain is the undisputed leader of this year’s Falcon squad.
“She really sets the example of intensity for the team, and the girls look up to her,” coach Kelly White said. “She knows the game so well, and she’s a very vocal player, but she doesn’t have to say anything – she truly leads by example.
“Every practice she’s going 110 percent, and that’s how she plays. Every day is game day for Liz. She’s so much fun for me to coach. I really admire her.”
White knew she was inheriting a special player when she took over the helm of the varsity two years ago.
“I didn’t coach her when she was a sophomore, but I watched her pretty closely,” said White, who coached the junior varsity for a year before taking over the varsity. “Even back then, the one thing that defined Liz is she plays with so much passion and heart.
“On top of that, she has the skill sets to match it, and she can implement and execute game strategies, and she understands the team concept. She really is an all-around player. Even the other coaches in the few games we’ve played this year have complimented her on her play. She plays the entire 50 minutes. She’s the type of kid I don’t have to say anything to.”
Lacrosse is just the tip of the iceberg Cowley, who is a self-motivated student off the field as well. She is president of the Humanities in Progress Club, a club that works toward creating a tolerant and more peaceful environment in school.
“At Pennsbury, we try to spread and teach non-bullying tactics,” she said. “Not just accepting one another but being completely tolerant of diversity and kind of spreading the love.”
A member of HIP since she was nominated by a teacher to join the new club as a freshman, Cowley also is involved with Pennsbury Friends, a club affiliated with HIP that works with the special needs students.
“Pennsbury’s special needs program is very large,” she said. “We have different events, we stay after school and work on the social aspect.
“They’re such wonderful kids, and it’s so much fun. They deserve as much respect, as much appreciation as the next kid at Pennsbury because they’re such a big part of the school. We just try and make it known that they are important and they have friends.”
White, the advisor of the Pennsbury Friends program, says that Cowley is a natural when it comes to working with the special needs children.
“She’s great with the students,” the Falcons’ coach said. “She’s just that all-around great kid, and I can’t speak highly enough of her.
“She’s been a great participant and is always enthusiastic and positive.”
As for her start in lacrosse, Cowley says she may have played other sports as a youngster growing up, but she doesn’t really remember them.
“I never was good at soccer with the feet-eye coordination, so I kind of stayed above the waist,” she said. “I had better hand-eye coordination.
“I never really made a connection with anything but lacrosse.”
The senior captain, who has been playing lacrosse since third grade, came by her love of the sport honestly.
“My father was a big lacrosse player, so he really got me involved,” Cowley said. “I completely fell in love with the sport, so I kept with it ever since.”
Cowley’s father, Jack Cowley, played lacrosse at Drexel University, and he coached his daughter in the Lower Bucks Township League until she was in eighth grade.
“He was a big influence in my life,” said Cowley.
During the summer before seventh grade, she began playing club lacrosse for Ultimate Goal Lacrosse where she learned the finer points of the game from Lafayette lacrosse coach Ali Fisher.
“I have always had the same coach, and I have always played with the same girls,” said Cowley. “By the end of my club season last summer, which was my last year, we all knew each other for a very long time. We were very closely-knit.
“My coach also played a big role in my advancement in lacrosse and my skills sets, and she took me to the next level in lacrosse. I spent every summer with my coach and those girls. It was something I always knew. They were my summer best friends.”
Cowley plays center for the Falcons and is instrumental at both ends of the field.
“Liz is a tenacious and highly skilled midfielder,” White said. “She’s an important piece in transitioning the ball.
“She gives everything she has out on the field. Coaches and teammates depend on Liz because she can perform well under pressure. She is a steady and confident player who can make the big play in a game. I feel lucky to have her on my team, and I think a lot of the girls feel that same way.”
When it comes to helping others improve their game, Cowley is the first in line.
“I think it’s an important part of being an upperclassman in general, let alone entrusted to work with my other teammates,” she said. “If you can’t work with your teammates, then you’re not going to win as a team.
“I can’t hold the team on my shoulders, and I don’t want to. I think everyone should have the opportunity to grow. I love being able to make that connection with all the girls. I always try and lead by example. I like to talk a lot, so it usually comes out in words, but I try my best to balance it out on the field.”
Ask Cowley what she has enjoyed most about playing lacrosse, and she doesn’t point to a personal accomplishment but rather the friendships she has made along the way.
“Whether it’s from camps or my club team or my high school team, I have just experienced such great lacrosse and so many great girls that I’ve made friendships with that will last forever,” she said. “The common bond of lacrosse is such a great starter for a friendship.
‘We’re always going to be in contact with each other, and that’s my favorite part.”
Despite her passion for lacrosse, Cowley does not presently have plans to continue her career at the collegiate level.
“Lacrosse is really a big part of who I am,” she said. “I have seesawed with the idea for a really long time, and I haven’t been 100 percent for one side or the other.
“I want to take my time and see where I end up in college. I know I can’t let lacrosse go, and I will definitely be playing club if nothing else. I would love to play D-1 or D-2, but personally, right now I don’t’ know if it’s exactly what I want, but I definitely want to stay involved in lacrosse in some way.”
Although she has not decided on a college, Temple is one possibility. She is uncertain of a major.
“I like being involved with the special needs kids and doing charitable work,” she said. “I like to give back.
“I feel like I’ve been so (blessed) in life, so whatever I do, I definitely want to be giving back.”
Where did she develop that mindset?
“I have great parents,” she said. “They have taught me well.”
For her part, White is simply enjoying her finals weeks and months with a player who has made an impact on her coaches and teammates alike.
“I have truly had fun watching her and coaching her,” the Falcons’ coach said. “You put in all that work all year with them, and you see her on the field – she’s what it’s all about. She’s awesome.”
