Fifth-year senior and Center Grove product Ian Rowe returns in goal for Franklin College.
Submitted photo | Chad Williams
Ian Rowe grew up as the quiet kid who was reluctant to raise his hand in class.
However, fully extending both arms in order to alter the flight of a fast-moving soccer ball has never been an issue for Rowe, a fifth-year senior goalkeeper for Franklin College.
One is instinctive. Natural. The other … not so much.
The 2020 Center Grove graduate earned his bachelor’s degree in marketing last spring, but elected to make good use of his extra season of athletic eligibility made possible by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Ultimately, for me it was getting another season under my belt because after college I won’t play much competitively anymore,” said Rowe, 22, who currently takes a digital photography class he feels will eventually benefit him in his post-college line of work.
“It’s another chance for me to be with my teammates.”
The Grizzlies open the season Friday as one of four teams competing in the J.R. Hoe Invitational in Louisville.
Third-year coach Josh Galvin, whose squad will play Centre and Spalding before returning home to face DePauw on Sept. 5, is comfortable knowing Rowe is in front of the net for the Grizzlies, who finished last season with a 3-10-4 record.
“Obviously, Ian coming back for his fifth year, the plan is to have him in goal at the beginning of the season,” Galvin said. “It certainly eases quite a bit of stress. We know what we’re going to get with Ian, and that gives us a lot of peace of mind.”
At 6 feet and 160 pounds, Rowe isn’t a physically imposing presence at that end of the pitch. At the same time, he’s never met an airborne soccer ball he won’t attempt to throw his body in front of in order to bat it away.
Goalkeepers must possess a certain fearlessness, and Rowe certainly does.
“As I grew older, I realized I had an attribute a lot of kids don’t have, and that’s that I could catch the ball and not be afraid,” he said. “Communication is definitely the big thing for me.
“As I’ve gotten older, I’ve realized communication with my back line helps the team function.”
The Franklin College roster includes four goalkeepers, the others being sophomores Easton Terry, Steven Scott and Jaime Silva, the latter a transfer from the University of Rio Grande, a NAIA school in southern Ohio.
Rowe, the Grizzlies’ starter in the net the 2022 and 2023 seasons, is the guy for now. Last season, he made 16 starts compared to one for Scott and none for Terry. Rowe was one of four Grizzlies named to the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference’s preseason watch list earlier this month.
Some of Rowe’s best numbers last fall were the 22 shots he faced in the Grizzlies’ 3-1 win at Alma, and the eight saves he made in a home tie against Denison. His career totals include 39 matches played and 199 saves.
Asked if he has a favorite during his Franklin College career, Rowe thinks for a moment before going back to last season’s 2-1 loss at Bluffton, a game he finished with seven saves.
One was special, but Rowe seems to deliver special fairly regularly.
“Ian has the ability to just stretch out and make big-time saves,” Galvin said. “Over the past few years, he’s made some pretty incredible saves that even the coach on the other team would say something after the match.”
SCOUTING THE GRIZZLIES
A brief look at the season ahead for Franklin College’s fall sports teams, most of which debut this week:
Women’s volleyball
With three All-HCAC players back in Hope Moring, McKenzie Schroeder and Miranda Wilson, the Grizzlies hope to do better than the seventh-place finish predicted by the league’s coaches. Junior outside hitter Kaitlyn Lavy was also a key contributor a year ago, when Franklin was 8-18 overall and 2-7 in HCAC play.
Men’s soccer
Franklin landed in an eighth-place tie in the HCAC preseason rankings after going 3-10-4 overall and 2-5-2 in the conference last fall. Fifth-year goalkeeper Ian Rowe, a Center Grove grad, is among the players on the league’s watch list.
Women’s soccer
All-conference sophomore Lauren Barker and senior goalie Makenna Mundy are among those back for the Grizzlies (4-9-6, 3-4-2 HCAC last season), who were picked sixth in the league’s preseason coaches’ poll.
Men’s cross country
The Grizzlies finished third in the HCAC last fall and are pegged to land there again, with All-HCAC returnees John Asplund and Sam Wilson leading the way.
Women’s cross country
Seniors Ella Bashor and Haley Makowski are both three-time All-HCAC performers, and they’re back to lead a Grizzlies team that’s picked to finish sixth in the conference this fall.
Men’s tennis
Franklin, which was picked fifth in the HCAC preseason rankings, brings back three all-league seniors in Dustin Garrison, Nathan Jarboe and Owen Pickerill. The Grizzlies were 9-13 overall and 2-4 in the conference last year.
Women’s tennis
Sydney Carson and Franklin native Ailyn Hendricks, both all-conference picks last year, are back to lead the Grizzlies (6-12 overall and 2-4 in the HCAC last year). The team, which also includes former Whiteland player Brenna Atchison, was picked sixth in the league’s preseason coaches poll.
