April 2, 2004
EVANSTON, Ill. - The pessimist might say that the 15th-ranked Northwestern women's lacrosse team has been cheating fate for the last few weeks, with several narrow victories and thrilling comebacks. The pessimist might also say that fate is due to turn the tables on the 'Cats, perhaps as early as Sunday when they play at unranked Connecticut.
NU head coach Kelly Amonte Hiller is not a pessimist.
"I do not think we have played our best games yet this season, and that excites me," she said. "I think the players are going back to the concept of having a good time out there. We know UConn is going to be a great opponent and will give us a battle, but we are planning to play our best game and see what happens."
The 'Cats have had a week to gear up for this game, following last weekend's 12-11 win against Virginia Tech. That was the second straight game in which NU came back from a late two-goal deficit to get the victory.
It is easy to get caught up in the excitement building around the Northwestern program. However, it is a program still in its infant stages -- just its third year back as a varsity -- and there are plenty of learning experiences available. Amonte Hiller feels that the last few games, playing as a favorite, have provided them.
"We spent two years playing almost every game in the easier role of the underdog," she said. "In the last few weeks, our players have been learning what life is like on the other side -- to be playing a team that feels its season is made by knocking you off. We are learning what it is like to be the hunted.
"The best thing about our team is that we have players with a lot of character," she continued. "However, they are still young, and just starting to understand that they cannot wait until late in a game to start bringing that excitement and pizzazz to a game. It needs to be on display for the full 60 minutes. I am excited to see what happens when they play at a consistently high level for a full game."
Sunday's game kicks off a stretch of four straight road games for the Wildcats over the course of the next three weekends -- following Sunday's game with the Huskies, NU heads to the West Coast next weekend to face unranked teams Stanford and California. The 'Cats then return to American Lacrosse Conference play April 17 with a game at No. 18 Penn State (NU is currently 2-0 in the ALC).
"To be honest, I feel like Sunday's game is a home game for us," said Amonte Hiller, whose family hails from neighboring Massachusetts. "Most of our players are from the East Coast, and a ton of them are from the New England-New York region so that it's an easy drive to Storrs. We will have more family at this game than we do at most of our games in Evanston."
Sunday's game is slated to begin at 1 p.m. in Storrs, Conn. (noon CDT).