March 9, 2008
Box Score
EVANSTON, Ill. -- Junior Hannah Nielsen (Adelaide, Australia/Brighton Secondary) registered four goals and added four assists while junior Hilary Bowen (Rochester, N.Y/Brighton) tallied five goals and an assist as Northwestern improved to 5-0 on the season with a 19-10 victory over 14th-ranked Boston University at Lakeside Field. The victory extended the top-ranked Wildcats' winning streak to 26 games.
Cold, snowy conditions did little to slow down the offensive output by either team, as sophomore Danielle Spencer (Rochester, N.Y./Brighton) put the `Cats on top 1-0 less than three minutes into the game. After the Terriers (2-1) answered with a goal of their own, NU responded with four unanswered to open up a 5-1 lead, thanks to goals from Spencer, freshman Brooke Matthews (Baltimore, Md./Friends School) and a pair from Bowen.
Northwestern and Boston would trade goals over a four-minute span until the Wildcats took control of the half. Behind a pair of goals by both Bowen and Nielsen, NU would finish the first half with five unanswered goals and take an 11-4 lead into the half, thanks in large part to a 25-5 shot advantage in the first 30 minutes.
Northwestern continued to set the pace into the second half, outscoring the Terriers 7-2 and led 18-6 with 10 minutes remaining. But Boston would begin a run of its own, scoring four goals in a five minute span to trim the Wildcat lead to 18-10 with just under three minutes to play. Junior Ali Jacobs' (Westwood, Mass./Westwood) second goal of the afternoon came with 53 seconds remaining to finish the game on a positive note for NU and seal its 34th straight home victory.
Sophomore Katrina Dowd (Yorktown Heights, N.Y./Yorktown) continued her impressive play recording her second hat-trick of the season, while juniors Meredith Frank (Westwood, Mass./Westwood) and Casey Donohoe (Jarrettsville, Md./Notre Dame Prep) each added a goal and an assist in the win.
Up next for Northwestern is a trip to Columbus, Ohio, as it opens American Lacrosse Conference play against the Buckeyes at 2 p.m. Friday, March 14. The `Cats then return home to face Massachusetts at 1 p.m. Sunday, March 16.