Feb. 23, 2006
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EVANSTON, Ill. - The Wildcats take their 22-game winning streak the east coast this weekend when they square off against No. 16 Hofstra at 4:30 p.m. CT Friday in Hempstead, N.Y. before heading down to Piscataway, N.J. for a Sunday matinee with Rutgers at Noon CT.
The Wildcats are coming off a convincing 13-8 win at No. 9 Maryland on Feb. 13-a game in which the Wildcats quickly found themselves down 4-0, but regrouped to score seven unanswered and never looked back in the season-opening victory.
"Hofstra is coming off a great year," head coach Kelly Amonte Hiller said. "They have a lot of offensive power and return a lot of great players. We've always had great battles with Rutgers in the past and this year will be no exception. Both teams have similar styles of play and are very physical. We are very excited about heading to New York and playing against two quality programs."
22 and Counting
The Wildcats have the nation's longest current win streak among Division I programs at 22 games dating to the start of the 2005 season. The record for consecutive wins is 50, held by Maryland (March 9, 1995 to April 20, 1997). NU also has won 12 straight home games dating to the end of the 2004 season. That record also is held by Maryland who won 22 home matches in a row.
Kjellman Named ALC Player of the Week
Junior All-American Kristen Kjellman started the season with a three-goal, three-assist performance against ninth-ranked Maryland on Feb. 13 and in the process earned American Lacrosse Conference Player of the Week honors. The Wildcats roared back from a 4-0 deficit with a 7-0 run to close the half, with Kjellman scoring twice and adding an assist in the run. The junior led all players with six draw controls in the game.
Amonte Hiller Notches 50th Career Victory
The season-opening win at No. 9 Maryland was even sweeter for head coach Kelly Amonte Hiller as she recorded career-win No. 50 against her alma mater on Feb. 13.
Kjellman Moves Up the Charts
With three goals against the Terrapins Feb. 13, junior Kristen Kjellman moved up from sixth into a tie for third on NU's all-time goals list with 115-in just her third season. She is now tied with Maureen Mullen who played for the Wildcats from 1986-89. Kjellman was second on the team last season with 59 goals and had 53 as a freshman in 2004.
NU Picked to Repeat in ALC; Kjellman Preseason Player of the Year
Defending NCAA and ALC champion Northwestern has been selected to finish atop the conference by a vote of the league's head coaches. The coaches also named Northwestern's Kristen Kjellman as the Preseason Player of the Year. Kjellman, a Tewaaraton Trophy finalist in 2005 after leading the Wildcats to the NCAA title, was a consensus first-team All-American last year and was the ALC Player of the Year in 2005.
Kjellman, the 2004 ALC Rookie of the Year, is joined on the first team by fellow 'Cats Sarah Albrecht and Lindsey Munday. Munday led the nation last year with 107 points and was on the 2005 ALC First Team, while Albrecht was a second team member. Munday joined Kjellman as a consensus first team All-American while Albrecht was on the All-American second team by both IWLCA and womenslacrosse.com and the third team by insidelacrosse.com.
'Cats Down Terps In Opener
No.1 Northwestern fought back from an early 4-0 deficit in the first period to claim a 13-8 win Feb. 13 at No. 9 Maryland in College Park, Md. Kristen Kjellman led the Wildcats with three goals and three assists and Laura Glassanos chipped in with three goals of her own as the defending national champion Wildcats extended their winning streak to 22 games.
The Terrapins were the aggressor at the start as Delia Cox scored the third and fourth goals of the game to give Maryland a 4-0 advantage just about midway through the period.
But Northwestern never hit the panic button.
Instead, the 'Cats regrouped and went on an offensive tear over the final 16 minutes of the half, scoring seven unanswered goals to take a 7-4 lead at halftime and never looking back in the 13-8 win.
Everyone's Choice
The Wildcats have been picked to win it all once again by the IWLCA, the Bounce Entertainment/Inside Lacrosse Poll and Lacrosse Magazine. Duke is No. 2 in each of those polls and will face the Wildcats in Durham, N.C. April 6.
Scouting Hofstra
No. 16 Hofstra was 14-4 last season and captured the Colonial Athletic Association championship with a 6-1 league mark. They return three potent offensive weapons in senior Becky Thorn and juniors Kimberly Hillier and Casey McGrath. Thorn led the team last season with 39 goals while Hillier and McGrath added 29 and 28, respectively. Returning in goal is sophomore Maisie Osteen who logged 654 minutes, recorded 70 saves and picked up nine wins. Hofstra is coached by Shelley Klaes-Bawcombe who is in her fifth season.
Scouting Rutgers
The Scarlet Knights were 6-10 last season with a 1-4 mark in the Big East. Junior midfielder Anne Marchitello and junior midfielder Katie Batiuk were named to the 2006 Preseason All-Big East squad. Batiuk led the team with 47 goals and 12 assists last season while Marchitello also started all 16 games with nine goals. They are coached by Laura Brand who is in her third season.