Lafayette's Barber dazzles opponents with mix of speed, scoring touch
A supersonic flash of black and gold, Lafayette's Kate Barber has tormented opposing field hockey coaches and defenses since she first took the field as a freshman.
This fall, Barber and her teammates reached new heights. Lafayette became the first public school since Edwardsville in 1988 to win the Midwest Field Hockey Tournament. The Lancers finished the year 22-1.
Barber's role in Lafayette's success was immeasurable. The junior's 27 goals and 35 assists were far and away the biggest offensive totals of the season in the area.
Her terrific individual efforts and crucial role in the march to the title earn Barber honors as the Post-Dispatch All-Metro player of the year.
"From the first day of practice we knew we had the potential," Barber said. "Everyone pushed themselves to get better, and they put their heart into every game."
Lafayette coach Kate O'Connell knows a thing or two about field hockey. A former All-Metro player of the year at Lafayette and a standout collegiate player at Indiana, O'Connell said the talented Barber consistently made plays that impressed. O'Connell thought she had seen everything in Barber's bag of tricks until she watched the junior score three consecutive goals against MICDS in the Midwest tournament semifinals.
"I turned to my assistant coach and said, ‘She is the best player ever to come out of Lafayette,'" O'Connell said. "She truly deserves that title. My sister (Meg, a two-time All-Metro player of the year) and I were great players, but we never won a state championship."
Barber had the game-winning goal in all four of the Lancers' state tournament victories and finished the tourney with eight goals.
"When we beat MICDS it was a bit of a shock," Barber said. "We knew right then and there that we were as good as anyone and that we could pull this off."
While opponents set up defenses to contain Barber, the junior's speed and smarts usually get the best of those plans.
"She always knows when to pass and when to take the ball herself, which can be very frustrating for other teams," O'Connell said. "Kate is the most dangerous player on the field."
A second-team All-Metro player as a freshman, Barber became a first-team All-Metro talent and one of the area's top scoring threats as a sophomore. She scored 20 goals, had an eye-popping 40 assists and earned a spot on the National Field Hockey Coaches Association's all-America team -- the only area player thus honored.
"Kate is the main striker on corners, the rush on defensive corners, and she plays up and down the field as the center mid," O'Connell said. "She is the epitome of a team player. She holds herself and her teammates accountable for every aspect of the game. There is never a practice when Kate isn't working 110 percent."
The Lancers will have a difficult time repeating next season. Lafayette loses 21 seniors to graduation.
"We're losing every starter but two," Barber said. "It'll be crazy."
