April 12, 2007
Complete Release in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader
Sat., April 14 -- Noon CT
#1 Northwestern (9-1, 1-0) vs. #8 Penn State (8-4, 0-1)
Evanston, Ill.
Mon., April 16 -- 4 p.m. CT
#1 Northwestern (9-1) vs. #2 Maryland (12-1)
Evanston, Ill.
EVANSTON, Ill. -- Tournament seedings, conference standings and bragging rights will be on the line this weekend for all teams involved as No. 1 Northwestern (9-1, 1-0 ALC) takes on two top 10 opponents in three days. The first game is at noon Saturday against ALC foe and eighth-ranked Penn State (8-4, 0-1 ALC) before turning around to face No. 2 Maryland (12-1) on Monday.
The Wildcats were faced with a similar situation last year when they faced North Carolina and Johns Hopkins -- both top 10 teams at the time -- in the span of three days. The Wildcats came out on top convincingly in both games which springboarded them back to the top of the national polls and to another ALC Championship.
Kjellman Among Elite Company
Senior All-American Kristen Kjellman further solidified herself in the Northwestern record books March 30 against Syracuse as her three points made her Northwestern's all-time points leader with 290, breaking the old mark of 289 set back in 1987 by Kate Oleykowski. She totaled nine points (6g, 3a) over the weekend, with two goals and one assist against Syracuse and four goals and two dishes on against UConn.
Seniors Set Win Record
With the win over California on Monday, the 2007 seniors (Kjellman, Josephs, Finocchiaro, Elliott, Boege, Whitman and Lovett) became the winningest class in Northwestern's history with 65 wins and counting. They won 15 games in 2004, 21 in 2005, 20 last season and nine so far in 2007. Last year's class graduated with 64 wins.
'Cats `D' Puts the Clamps on Opponents
With all the offensive fireworks Northwestern's attack displays, probably the biggest part that gets overlooked is its defense. As of the NCAA stats released April 8, NU currently leads the nation in scoring defense at 5.56 goals per game. Goalkeeper Morgan Lathrop leads in both goals-against average (5.52) and save percentage (.596) while junior Christy Finch is second with 2.9 caused turnovers per game. Northwestern has only allowed one opponent--Notre Dame--to score in double-digits with 10 goals. Of the 10 games this year, NU's defense has given up just five or fewer goals six times. They held No. 8 Syracuse--the nation's top scoring team at the time with 15.8 per game--to seven goals, its lowest offensive output of the season and held No. 4 Duke--also more than 15 goals per game coming in--to its lowest offensive output (five goals) since 2005.
Rolling
Since its one-point, double-overtime setback at then-No. 4 North Carolina back on Feb. 17, the Wildcats have played like a team reborn. They have won nine-straight games--six against ranked teams--and have outscored their opponents 157-49 over that stretch, an average score of 17.4 to 5.4.
Home Cookin'
The Wildcats are one tough cookie at home, winning 25-straight games in Evanston dating to 2004. NU went unbeaten at home the past two seasons and is 5-0 in Evanston so far this year. The NCAA record is 41 home wins in a row set by Maryland from 1997-2001.
Finch Named WomensLAX.com Player of the Week
Few would have predicted a 12-goal victory for the Wildcats over Duke on Saturday, but perhaps most impressive was Northwestern's defensive effort. Christy Finch led a defense that held Duke to their lowest offensive output since 2005, and it was only the fourth time in program history that the Blue Devils have been outmatched by 12 goals--its worst loss since 1996. Finch went into the game ranked second in the nation in caused turnovers. She added five more to that statistic on Saturday, along with three ground balls, as the Wildcat defense allowed a potent Duke offense only 13 shots in the game and only one second-half goal. The junior defender has become known for her ability to "strip" an attacker with the ball in a crowd-pleasing fashion that is often reserved for a big goal or an outstanding goalie save.
Cats Among NCAA Leaders
To no one's surprise, the Wildcats are among the NCAA statistical leaders in several categories as of the latest NCAA stats released April 8. NU leads the nation in scoring margin (+10.33), scoring (15.89) and scoring defense (5.56).
Individually, goalkeeper Morgan Lathrop leads in both goals-against average (5.52) and save percentage (.596) while junior defender Christy Finch is second with 2.9 caused turnovers per game. Hannah Nielsen is third with 2.89 assists and fifth with 5.2 points per game. Hilary Bowen ranks 10th in points (4.78) and 12th in assists with 2.1 per game. Kristen Kjellman rounds out the NU leaders, ranking 17th in points (4.33), 25th in goals (2.89) and 13th with 3.2 draw controls.
Last Time Out: NU 22, California 8
It was just another day at the office for the top-ranked Wildcats as they defeated the visiting California Golden Bears 22-8 Monday afternoon at the Thomas Athletic Complex in Evanston for their ninth win in a row. The Wildcats showered the Golden Bear defense with a season-high 43 shots to only 13 for Cal. Tewaaraton Trophy winner Kristen Kjellman finished with two goals and two assists, and in the process, became just the 15th player in the history of NCAA Division I women's lacrosse to amass at least 300 career points (212 goals, 90 assists). Sophomore Hannah Nielsen led Northwestern with eight points on five goals and three dimes. Aly Josephs and Casey Donohoe each had four goals while Meredith Frank finished with three and a game-high nine draw controls. Morgan Lathrop (three saves) earned another win in goal to up her record to 9-1 while Hilary Lynch made nine saves for Cal. Hilary Bowen finished with two goals and two assists while freshman Danielle Spencer added a goal and assist of her own.
Scouting The Nittany Lions
Penn State (8-4, 0-1 ALC) is enjoying one of its finer seasons in 2007 and come into Saturday's game ranked No. 8 in the latest top 20 polls. They are coming off a heartbreaking 10-9 loss to Northwestern's next opponent--No. 2 Maryland--last Saturday as the Terrapins won the game with a late goal in the final minutes to preserve the victory. Penn State, who suffered a 19-9 loss to the Wildcats last season, has pulled out some impressive wins this year, including an 8-7 overtime win over North Carolina--the only team to edge Northwestern this season. Penn State is led by Jessi Lieb's 26 goals and 12 assists. Kerry Shea and Lindsay Dutch both have 20 goals while Cammie Jurkowsky has started all 12 games in goal with an 8.07 goals-against average and 89 saves. The Lions are led by sixth-year head coach Suzanne Isidor.
Scouting Maryland
Second-ranked Maryland is 12-1 (3-1 ACC) entering Friday's home game with Loyola (Md.) and rank among the top scoring teams in the country with 15.3 goals per game. They are currently riding a seven-game win streak and are coming off the aforementioned 10-9 thriller over Penn State last Saturday. Its only trip up this year came at conference rival Virginia where the Cavaliers handed the Terps a 15-4 defeat in Charlottesville. Maryland is led by Dana Dobbie's 39 goals and 10 assists and she also ranks third in the NCAA in draw controls with 3.9 per game. Krista Pellizzi is UM's other big gun with 36 goals and 13 dimes. Allie Buote is the netminder with a .485 save percentage and while giving up 9.8 goals per game. Maryland is led by first-year head coach Cathy Reese who returned to College Park after spending her first three seasons as head coach at the University of Denver where she guided the Pioneers to their most successful season in school history in 2006.
We've Got a Streaker
Sophomore Meredith Frank has recorded at least one point in 31 consecutive games. Frank started her streak at the start of last season, notching at least one point in goal or assist fashion in every game of her young career.
Multiple Threats
The Wildcats are one of the nation's top scoring teams, due mainly to their multiple threats on attack. Northwestern has five players with 25 or more goals, led by Kristen Kjellman and Meredith Frank's 28 apiece. Two more sophomores take up the next two spots in Hilary Bowen (26), Hannah Nielsen (26) followed by senior Aly Josephs with 25.
Since they were held to single digits in the opener at UNC, the Wildcat attack has exploded, averaging 17.4 goals over their nine-game win streak. Hilary Bowen (24g, 24a) and Hannah Nielsen (24g, 27a) have combined for 48 goals and 51 assists over that stretch.
Nielsen On Record Breaking Pace
Though it's still early, sophomore Hannah Nielsen is on pace for a record-breaking season. Through 10 games, the Australia native has 29 assists, an average of 2.9 per game. Not counting possible postseason contests, at her current pace, she is on pace to shatter the NU single-season record for assists which is 54, set by current assistant coach Lindsey Munday in 2005.
Early and Often
The Wildcats have made a living jumping out to big leads this season. Through 10 games NU has outscored the opposition 91-25 in the first half of games. They led 13-0 at the half at Vanderbilt, 12-4 at Notre Dame, 10-1 vs. UMass, 7-0 at Boston University and 13-3 vs. UConn.
For the complete release click the PDF link above