The Scarlet Sitdown: Rutgers Women's Soccer with Allison Lowrey

Welcome to the Scarlet Sit-Down with Alice and Josh, a daily target sports podcast dedicated to covering everything that goes on in Rutgers athletics. I'm the head sports editor, Alice Gordon, and I'm the associate sports editor, Josh Myers. And in the Scarlet Sit-Down, we're going to bring on a special guest every episode to discuss the hottest topics in Rutgers sports. Our first special guest of the new school year has been playing striker for the Rutgers women's soccer team for four years, has 21 career goals, 13 career assists during her time on the banks, and currently this season leads the team with six goals. Alice and Lowry, how are you? Hi, good. How are you guys? Good. Doing great. I'm having a good day so far. Yeah. How are you guys' days? Pretty good. No complaints. I'm trying to think what I ate today. Oh, I had good General Tso chicken from the Livingston dining hall. My highlight is I had a class outside because I was locked out of, or at least a class was locked out of a room at Rutgers, which I feel like is very typical. Well, it's good weather though. No, it wasn't a bad thing. Perfect weather. Yeah. All right. Let's get into it Josh. So, Alice, and it's your senior year at Rutgers, obviously the season has already started, but what's something you did to prepare for your senior year playing forward for the Rutgers women's soccer team? So I actually ended up getting a back surgery right before preseason started, and that's kind of what my spring looked like. I was having back issues. I herniated a disc and it was pinching my nerve, so I couldn't walk for a little bit, and then I got some epidurals, and then we were getting ready, like I was out practicing, and I was ready to get into it, and I just felt a tweak in the nerve. I'm like, oh no. So I went to the surgeon, and he's like, all right, we're doing surgery this week. Got me in, and I was good to go, better than ever. When did you get to resume practicing after that? So we come in and do captain's preseason before the coaches get here, so it's just the team. So I was able to do non-contact, so I was able to work my fitness and get on the field a little bit before preseason actually started. Against FDU this season, you scored a hat trick, and it was the nicest. First hat trick since 2019. How cool of an accomplishment that is for you? Do you like to think about that stuff? Obviously, you're a forward, so that's where it goes, but do you think about that stuff often? So, it's actually funny, because I had no idea it was like, it had been that long since a hat trick was scored. I just played with such great players that I kind of figured that's something that was accomplished more often, but it was really cool. So I went into the game, I was kind of thinking about it, I'm like, hmm, what am I going to do today? And I scored the first goal, we were up 2-0, it was pretty early in the game, I'm like, I got a whole game left, maybe I can get two more, and I did, and it was really cool. But yeah, I had one good game, but if you look at the rest of the season, take that game out, I have three goals, two of them are PKs, so I kind of just want to take that, and yeah, it was great, but I also want to see what else I can do, I want to be able to produce more on the field. Yeah, hat tricks are cool. I'm a hockey guy, I'm a hockey guy. I used to play soccer when I was a kid, but hat tricks are always so cool. I wish in soccer, when a player gets a hat trick, like in hockey, they throw the hats on the ice. I wish I did something like that, like throwing a shoe on the field, something like that would be cool. I played in high school, I wasn't nearly as good, but my one hat trick I still remember from like 9th grade, or 8th grade, I was like, let's go. But yeah, no, it's a pretty cool accomplishment. I never scored a goal, I never scored a hat trick, I mean I scored a goal in hockey, we've talked about this before on the podcast, I've scored a lot of goals, but I haven't scored a hat trick, so yeah. But, and this is street hockey of course, I couldn't skate. So as the Big Ten season begins, what are some of your goals, or just what are some of your goals for the team, as you know, you're playing a lot bigger opponents, a lot more competitive opponents. That's a personal goal, and also like team goals. Yeah, that too. Team goals, I think we want to win every game from here on out. We had a rough start, not doing what we want to do, but we're coming at the season with a little bit different of an approach. The past two, three years we've been the favorite to win, so now we're the underdogs a little bit. People are going to be underestimating us, and we kind of want to take advantage of that. For me, I just want to be able to help the team. I want to produce a lot, whether it's just scoring, whether it's assisting, or just creating space for others to score, like I want to just have everybody have great games from here on out. Yeah, and what is like, so we talk about the hat trick obviously against FDU, but like, is that your favorite moment as part of the program, or like what is your favorite moment as part of the program? Honestly, there's a lot of really cool moments, like some things in certain games stick out to me, like one of my favorite moments was scoring the winning PK against TCU to send us to the Elite Eight in 2021. But there's been other really cool things, like my favorite goal I've scored was sophomore year against Minnesota. One of my teammates, Kylie, just played a ball over the top, and I just hit the volley in, and that's kind of something that's stuck with me a lot. Yeah, how was that run in 2021? You won the Big Ten Championship, I mean, that's really cool. How was that run? That was like one of the coolest things ever to be a part of. Everybody around campus was following us, we had so many people coming to our games, selling out our games, they had to find more places for people, just the support from everybody was the coolest thing ever, and we had so many home games, like the stands were like the 12th man, and a lot of people came out to California to see us play, so that's something that I'll just never forget, and we'll always appreciate that. I think I called like one or two of those games, and it was like packed, it was crazy, but how was the experience in California in the Final Four, what was that like? It was really cool, I mean, there were some things that were a little different than you'd see now because COVID was still kind of a thing, but we went there, they had an arcade for us, then we went to a nice dinner, but it was so warm, it was freezing here, we get there and it's so warm, and we were making sure to let everybody know, we're in Tanks right now, but it was cool because we'd be doing study hall, and we're like, oh, we're going to go out and sit in the sun, get a little tan, and our coaches were like, no, get inside, get in the shade, we've got to stick to the game plan here, so it was just a really cool bonding experience, after the game they had banners, like College Cup, Rutgers and stuff, they're like, don't take it, don't touch it, and of course some of the girls were like, I'm going to take it, because that's cool. That's a really cool moment, you can show it to your kids and be like, I did this. We got caught. Oh, you got caught? So we're in the conference room after the game, we're all just kind of like, just like taking it in, like, yeah, we made it, we should be proud of ourselves, and then the coach gets a text, like, we took the banner, and one of our players just stands up and whips it out, we all just die laughing, like she wasn't in trouble or anything, it was just funny because they said specifically, don't take it, and what she did, she took it. I would have taken it, I mean, obviously, I would have been like, I did it, it was me, but our equipment manager, Uli, he's the best, he has one somehow, in the equipment room, and I don't know how he got it. Was there any superstitious on the team, or was it like, don't take the banner because they told you not to, or don't take the banner because you don't want to, like. Oh, we weren't supposed to, I guess they just wanted to keep the banner, maybe for the next game, I don't know, but. Alright. What's it been like working under head coach Mike O'Neill and the rest of the coaching staff? Obviously, head coach Mike O'Neill has been like a mainstay in the program for a while, so yeah. So, actually, I've worked under Mike O'Neill since I was a freshman in high school on PDA, he was my coach, and just every year, like, I can notice myself getting better and better. The way he sees the game is unreal, like, he'll just be able to pick up on little things that I'm just like, how did you even notice that? And it's like, it helps a lot, because it's like, take a step to the left here, take a step to the right here, and like, he just paints the picture for you perfectly, and it's really cool. The rest of the staff is great. Really good people, really funny, we have some good times, and they're just very approachable people, you can ask them anything, go to them for anything, so. Yeah, I actually, I had a really funny interaction with coach O'Neill a couple weeks ago, I interviewed him for the Targum, and so I had to go down the field, I was taken by the SID, and so I go up to him, and I gave him like, I guess like a really weak handshake, and it's like, I don't know, it wasn't like tight at all, and he like, he like adjusted my handshake, yeah, he adjusted my handshake, and like, made it like, he like squeezed my hand, so to like, mimic like, you gotta squeeze it harder. So he was like, showing me how to do a handshake, and at the end of the interview, I gave him a better handshake, of course, and he gave him, he gave him, like dapped me up and gave me like a nice hug, so it was really cool, it was a touching moment for me, and I was like, oh. Learn how to handshake properly. Learn how to handshake from a Big Ten soccer girl, which is pretty cool. So, it's your fourth year on the banks, do you feel like you've had to enter a mentor role for some of these freshmen, you're a senior now, so, yeah. Obviously being a senior, I've had experiences that obviously freshmen, sophomores don't have, I'm kind of like, a little bit more unique in my class, because I've had experiences where I didn't get into the game as much, and I've had experiences where I was in for a little longer, and now I'm a starter, and it's useful, I can use my experience to help girls who are in the positions that I was, because it's not always easy, you always want to be out there helping your team, but sometimes it's not what the team needs, and you kind of just have to deal with the emotions of it and stuff, so, I'm able to give them a different perspective, because I've been there, and I understand where they're coming from. Are there any relationships that really stand out, you've been here for a long time, is there any relationships, any really close connections you've made throughout your time on the banks? Honestly, the team is so close, so open, you walk into the locker room, and you're just hearing a story, like, just, nobody cares who hears anything, it's kind of, it's really cool to be a part of, because, like, some of our girls who have transferred to other teams are like, we don't have that same experience, and that's something I'm very grateful for, because these, we say we're like a family, but we actually mean it. Yeah, yeah, yeah, and then, you're a senior too, so like, do you have any plans for soccer outside of this year, or you're not sure yet, you're still like, you know, the options, or? So my class is the last class that has a fifth year, what am I going to do with that, I don't know, but, you know, I would like to play pro for a few years, if my body holds up just because I think that's something that I would enjoy, I don't want to go into the real world yet either, but, that kind of scares me, but I think that's something, like, I've worked all my life for this, like, why not go for a few more years? I know Rutgers has a lot of, I mean, no pressure on you, but like, Carly Lloyd, I mean, she's like, she went to Rutgers, obviously, so, I mean, yeah, that's, I mean, it's, yeah, I mean, honestly, like, no pressure, but I personally think you're good enough to go to that level, so, yeah. Some non-soccer-related questions, just like, you know, campus-related questions, I guess we'll call them, we've been asking everyone who's been on here, what's your favorite place, what's your favorite place, excuse me, to eat around New Brunswick? Well, if you check my bank account, you'll see that I'm a big fan of Chipotle. Oh, me too. I had it a couple weeks ago, like, two, a week ago, what am I saying? I'm there, way too much, I love it, we'll, like, cater it for a games after too, so I go there a lot, I'm also a big fan of Pliables and Honeycomb. Yeah, yeah, me too. I, now I live right next to Pliables on mine, so I, like, always, like, go there now, it's too close to me, I don't have too much money, but it is really good, it's so good. Yeah, what's your go-to at Chipotle, I can tell you mine. So I like to get, like, bigger bowls, so that, like, I can get multiple meals out of it. Bulk, is it bulking, or is it to, like, not bulking, but is it to get, like, a lot of energy, I don't know. More or less, I, sometimes I'll get, like, triple protein, like, everyone always makes fun of me, they're like, oh, yeah, you're into Chipotle, you're gonna get triple steak, triple chicken. Athletes need it, listen, athletes need their protein, you guys, you guys right? What do you get, Josh, do you get triple steak? No, what I get is, I get, of course, rice, I get pinto beans, not black beans, I'm a pinto guy. Beans, you're a beans guy? I am a beans guy, beans, beans good for the heart. And then, what else? I get, uh, chicken, I get extra corn, I get extra, I like the corn. Extra corn? The corn is so good and sweet there at Chipotle, it's so sweet and good, and I just, it's scrumptious. And what else do I get? I get lettuce, usually, I always get, I like the guac, and I get, like, a little cheese, not in that order, of course, I always get my guac last, because it's, like, a good topping, but I love Chipotle, oh man, I'm so glad you like it too, it's really great there. So, I, yeah, I get, I get the, I try to go for the, I try to go for, like, the little extra chicken, I'm like, okay, can you, like, tell us all, it's good, it's good chicken. Can you not charge me? Yeah, exactly, exactly, but, no, I like that order, Josh. Yeah, definitely. Um, it's a good order, it's a solid order. It's a solid order, for sure. And then, you mentioned, like, how everyone, like, is talking in the locker room, do you guys play music before games or after games, and, like, what's, what's, like, the playlist looking like, who does aux, or, like, you guys not a music team? Honestly, you never know what you're gonna get when you walk into that locker room, um, Kylie, Riley, um, they're always up, they're always dancing, they're always on aux, so they play, like, the weirdest music ever, but it gets them hyped up, they're, like, dancing in the locker room, we're all, kind of, just staring at them, like, you do you. Is there, is there any song, any song or any artist that you guys, like, really listen to? So, me and Kylie used to, we used to turn the lights off in the locker room, we had a disco ball, and we'd play shots. Oh, yeah. We had this whole routine for, like, all the games, we would do it, but it got, like, exhausting, like, we have, like, our GPS trackers and stuff, and we're, like, thank goodness we're wearing this for, like, what we're doing right now, because it was exhausting, but it got, like, everybody going and stuff, it was really fun. That's cool. Uh, personally, I would be bumping some Olivia Rodrigo, I, it's, I like the album, I read your review about the Olivia Rodrigo album, I thought it was really good, but, I also, I, I, I like, uh, I really like, uh, Get Em Back, I really like that song, so, if it was me, like, obviously, if I'm, if I'm, if I play college soccer, or professional soccer, I would, uh, be bumping some of the new Olivia Rodrigo, especially if it's, like, recent times, but if it wasn't, if it was, like, a couple years ago, I'd probably be, I'd probably be bumping some Green Day, personally, somehow. You're gradually like Green Day. I'm a huge Green Day guy. I didn't know that, no, I didn't know that. Oh, well, now you do. Green Day is a good band, I love Green Day. Honestly, like, when we're on the bus and stuff, like, when I work out, I listen to the slowest music ever, like, if anybody was gonna, like, listen to, like, what I was listening to, they'd be like, turn this off, like, I listen to, like, a lot of Zach Bryan, it's, like, a lot of slow music, but I kind of just sit there, like, get in the mood, and, like, No, yeah, I get that, I have, like, two, like, you know, either I'll listen to, like, like, Trap, but also I'll listen to, like, like, indie, like, Noah Khan, Zach Bryan stuff, and then, like, I'm always, like, sometimes I'm, like, why am I listening to this? Yeah. It's slow, but, like, also, like, I don't know. Is Zach Bryan, isn't, isn't Zach Bryan country? Uh, man, he's, like, folk, no, no, no, he's not, he's, like, folk country. Technically, yeah. So, he is country, I was right. Yeah. Actually, I'm not, I'm not a country guy. I wouldn't say he's, like, country, country. I don't know, I don't know if that makes sense. Kind of, like, his own category. Yeah, yeah. They put him under country, but, like. He's a mixture, he's a mixture. Yeah. Good. All right, thank you for watching or listening to The Scarlet Sit-Down with Allison Josh, your podcast for everything rock and athletics. Thank you, Allison, for coming on, and good luck the rest of the season. Don't forget to follow The Scarlet Sit-Down on Spotify, YouTube, at The Daily Targum, and Instagram at scarletsitdownru, and head to your sec field on Bush campus to watch Allison and support the Rutgers women's soccer team. Stay tuned for more podcasts in the coming weeks.