Rosette Rough helps Blackbirds

No matter where Carson City's Rosette Rough goes or what sport she happens to be playing, success seems to follow.

Rough, playing her second fall sport and at her second school in as many years, Rough helped Long Island University-Brooklyn bring home the Northeast Conference women's soccer tournament championship with a 1-0 victory against Quinnipiac Sunday afternoon in Long Branch, N.J.

Even though Rough didn't score, the forward helped clear the way for Larissa Swartzlander's goal in the 85th minute to break a scoreless tie in the four-team tournament's championship game. The story was very similar Friday when Swartzlander scored in the 86th minute to give the Blackbirds a 1-0 victory against No. 1 seeded Central Connecticut State University.

"Rosette brings a lot of intensity and excitement to the field," LIU assistant sports information director Chris O'Connor said of Rough, a 1998 Carson High School graduate who only joined the program in August. "She's deceptively fast and she chases down every ball on the field, no matter where it's at. Just her presence frees up the other forward (Swartzlander)."

Not bad, considering that at this time last year Rough was on her way to earning All-American recognition as a rugby player at Oregon State University. Rough has since transferred to LIU, where she also plans to play softball this spring.

"You can see the rugby player in her sometimes," O'Connor said with a chuckle.

Interestingly enough, the Blackbirds have faced must-win situations in each of their last five games. They won three straight to conclude the regular season and earn the No. 4 seed for the conference tournament. All three games were decided by one goal and two of the three went to overtime.

Swartzlander, a junior from Cave Creek, Ariz., leads the team with 12 goals, seven of which have come during the current five-game win streak. Four of those seven goals have been game-winners.

By winning on Sunday, LIU moves into the NCAA Tournament playing game bracket and a match against the Southland Conference champion in Teaneck, N.J., this coming Saturday. If the Blackbirds win that match, they will be awarded a berth in the 48-team field for the NCAA Tournament.