Kristen Kjellman is fourth in the nation with 4.7 draw controls per game.Kristen Kjellman is fourth in the nation with 4.7 draw controls per game.

Its Tourney Time! Wildcats Begin Title Defense Sunday Against Stanford

May 11, 2006

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Tournament Bracket

EVANSTON, Ill. - The fourth-seeded and top-ranked Northwestern Wildcats (16-1) begin their national title defense Sunday when they welcome the No. 15 Stanford Cardinal (12-5) to Evanston in a first round matchup of the 2006 NCAA Women's Lacrosse Championship. This is NU's third straight year playing in the NCAA Championship. Last year, the Wildcats received the ALC's automatic bid en route to the national title and a perfect 21-0 mark. Overall, this is the Wildcats' eighth NCAA bid, receiving five during the first era of lacrosse, from 1982-92.

  • Northwestern is 6-6 all-time in the NCAA Championship and 5-1 in the modern era under head coach Kelly Amonte Hiller. They are 50-2 in its last 52 regular-season games and have won 18 in a row at home dating to the 2004 season-four away from the record of 22 held by Maryland.
  • Northwestern features the most potent and balanced offensive attack in the country. They lead the nation in scoring (16.5 goals per game), scoring margin (+8.4), draw controls (15.8) and win percentage (.941) and are seventh with only 8.13 goals allowed per game.
  • The Wildcats boast six players with 25 or more goals on the year who make up 83 percent of NU's scoring, two of which are *Tewaaraton Award finalists. *Kristen Kjellman leads with 61 goals, Aly Josephs is second with 43 while *Lindsay Munday is third with 41 goals and team-best 46 assists. Laura Glassanos and Sarah Albrecht and freshman Meredith Frank round out the top scorers with 36, 27 and 25 goals, respectively.
  • The Wildcats started the 2006 season on a tear, winning their first 10 games before their 31-game win streak was snapped with a 16-10 loss at Duke on April 7. Since then, the revitalized 'Cats have won six in a row, three in a row against ranked opponents, and have outscored the opposition 103-47, a difference of 10 goals per game. They defeated two top 10 teams in UNC and Johns Hopkins 18-10 and 17-5, respectively, in the span of three days.

    • Offensive Juggernaut
    The Wildcats, first in the nation in scoring at 16.53 goals per game and scoring margin (+8.41), have outscored their opponents by a combined score of 281-138, and a combined score of 103-47 over their last six games, an average of 10 goals per game. Northwestern's largest win was a 19-3 drubbing of Ohio University in Evanston March 4. They have allowed 10 or more goals just five times this year. NU has scored in double digits each game and have scored 13 or more in all but one.

    Scouting The Cardinal
    Stanford is making its first-ever appearance in the NCAA Tournament and are the first team west of the Mississippi to make the tournament field. They enter the tournament winners of six straight games, the longest win streak in program history. In the process, they picked up their second straight Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Championship with a 12-6 over Denver in Eugene, Ore. on Sunday. Goalkeeper Laura Shane is second nationally with a .566 save percentage and is 18th with a 9.08 goals-against average. Megan Burker also is 18th with 2.82 draw controls per contest. As a team, the Cardinal ranks 18th in scoring (12.24) and 19th in scoring defense (9.0). Burker leads the team with 42 goals and 17 assists. Daphne Patterson is second with 38 goals while Sarah Bach (34) and Liz Piselli (28) round out the top scorers for Stanford. Michele Uhlfelder is in her sixth season as head coach with a 72-35 mark heading into the tournament.

    Series History
    Sunday's game is the second meeting between the two teams this season and the fifth overall. NU leads the all-time series 3-1, with Stanford's lone win coming in 2003.

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