Feb. 27, 2009
2009 Northwestern Lacrosse Statistics 
NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Northwestern and Vanderbilt were picked to finish 1-2 in the American Lacrosse Conference preseason rankings, and showed why they are the top two teams in the conference as the Wildcats win a 22-10 slugfest at the Vanderbilt Lacrosse Complex. NU improves to 4-0 on the year and 1-0 in ALC play, and are now 6-3 all-time against Vandy.
Northwestern struck first thanks to a goal from senior Hannah Nielsen (Adelaide, Australia/Brighton Secondary) at the 27:25 mark, only to see the Commodores (1-2, 0-1) reel off two goals in under a minute to take a 2-1 advantage, giving the `Cats their first deficit of the season. But NU would respond with goals from junior Danielle Spencer (Rochester, N.Y./Brighton) and freshman Alexandra Frank (Westwood, Mass./Westwood).
Deadlocked at four a piece, the Wildcats would rattle off four-straight goals, with Spencer registering a pair and senior Hilary Bowen (Rochester, N.Y./Brighton) and Nielsen each adding one to take an 8-4 lead with just under five left in the half. The Commodores would answer with a pair of their own, and it appeared NU would take an 8-6, but Spencer found the back of the net for the fourth time in the opening stanza, this time with one second remaining on the clock and NU held a 9-6 cushion at halftime.
Vandy drew first blood in the second, cutting the lead to 9-7 one minute into the half, which seemed to awaken the fire in the Wildcats. Northwestern would score the next six goals, including five in the span of two minutes, to break the game open at 15-7 with 24:19 remaining in the contest. A Dore goal cut the gap to six at 15-8 with 23 minutes remaining, but the `Cats continued their wear-down attack and wore down Vanderbilt, outscoring the Commodores 13-4 in the half on a 28-10 shot advantage to preserve the victory.
The triple threat of Bowen, Nielsen and Spencer lead the Wildcat charge, registering five goals apiece. Nielsen added a pair of assists as well as both she and Bowen stretched their consecutive point streak to 48 games. Bowen also tallied a goal in her 44th straight game, maintaining the fifth-longest streak in NCAA history.
Despite the combined 15 goals from Bowen, Nielsen and Spencer, a total of 10 different Wildcats found the back of the net on the night. Sisters Meredith Frank (Westwood, Mass./Westwood) and Alexandra Frank (Westwood, Mass./Westwood) both scored a goal in the same game for the second time this year, and the sister duo of Kendall Santulli (Hinsdale, Ill./Hinsdale Central) and Samantha Santulli (Hinsdale, Ill./Hinsdale Central) each scored a goal, marking the first time in their NU careers that they have found the back of the net in the same game. Senior Ali Jacobs (Westwood, Mass./Westwood) also registered her first goal of the year, going coast-to-coast after forcing a Vandy turnover.
Senior goalkeeper Morgan Lathrop (Briarcliff, N.Y./The Hackley School) came up big for the second-straight game against a ranked opponent, saving a season-best nine Commodore shots to help stave off the Vanderbilt upset. NU's defense really stepped up in the second half when the team needed it most, limiting Vandy to just 10 shots, and forced 15 turnovers on the night.
The victory over the Commodores extended Northwestern's conference winning streak to 24 games, with the last ALC loss coming to Vanderbilt in 2004.
The Wildcats continue their road swing Sunday when they travel to Chapel Hill, N.C., to face the eighth-ranked Tar Heels. UNC is 3-0 on the year and defeated NU 9-8 in overtime back in 2007 at Fetzer Field. Opening draw is set for noon.