April 15, 2009
Northwestern Lacrosse Weekly Release - April 15 
Big Ten Conference Article on Hannah Nielsen
Opening Draw
Northwestern heads back on the road for the final time in the regular season, visiting American Lacrosse Conference opponent Johns Hopkins at 6 p.m. Central Friday, April 17. The game against the Blue Jays will be televised live on ESPNU, marking the first televised Wildcat game this season. NU then heads south for a showdown with 10th-ranked Virginia at 11 a.m. Central Sunday, April 19.
Wildcats Make Television Debut Friday
Northwestern's game against American Lacrosse Conference opponent Johns Hopkins Friday marks the Wildcats' television debut for 2009 as the showdown will be televised live on ESPNU. NU has fared well in televised games the past few seasons, posting a 9-0 record since the start of the 2007 season, including a 5-0 record in 2008. The Northwestern-Virginia game on Sunday will be broadcast live at ACC Select.com.
Scouting the Blue Jays
Johns Hopkins is 5-9 on the year and is coming off an 18-12 loss to second-ranked Maryland Tuesday. Junior Brett Bathras and freshman Candace Rossi have each tallied 29 points on the year to pace the Blue Jay attack, with Rossi netting a team-high 26 goals as well as 29 draw controls while Bathras leads the squad in assists (13) while adding 16 goals. Freshman Colleen McCaffrey (19G) and sophomore Brianna Cronin (17G) have also reached double-digit goal totals for Hopkins. Junior defender Angela Hughes leads the Blue Jays in both ground balls (20) and caused turnovers (20), with sophomore Brooke Lipinski adding 17 and 10 respectively. Goalkeepers Julianne Wisner and Lizzie O'Ferrall have each started seven games in net for the Blue Jays with a combined 115 saves and 12.7 goals against average. Head coach Janine Tucker is in her 16th season with Hopkins, boasting a career 182-87 (.677) record.
Scouting the Cavaliers
10th-ranked Virginia sits at 10-5 on the season after a dominating 21-8 victory over George Mason Tuesday night. Tewaaraton Trophy nominee Blair Weymouth has paced the Cavalier offensive attack with 44 goals and 15 assists, while teammate Ashley McCulloch is right behind with 29 goals and 28 assists. Senior Jenny Hauser ranks second on the team in goals with 31, while juniors Kaitlin Duff (25G) and Whitaker Hagerman (21) have also eclipsed the 20-goal plateau. Junior Brittany Kalkstein has been Virginia's strength on the draw, winning a team-best 57, while Duff and senior Katie Shannon have each notched 25 draws. Duff has also been a nuisance to opposing attackers, causing 37 turnovers to go along with Shannon's 15. Sophomore goalkeeper Lauren Benner has started all 14 games in net, making 93 saves with a .435 save percentage and a 9.78 goals against average. Julie Myers is in her 14th season at the helm of the Cavaliers with a career record of 210-65 (.764).
Series Information
Northwestern and Johns Hopkins get together for the 10th time this Friday, with the Wildcats holding a 7-2 advantage in the series. NU has won the last six meetings between the schools, including a nail-biting 14-12 victory in Evanston last season. The `Cats are 3-2 all-time in Baltimore, most recently defeating the Blue Jays 22-6 at Homewood Field in the 2007 ALC finals. NU is 3-5 all-time against the Cavaliers, as this is the first time the two teams have met in the regular season since 1991. The three meetings since Northwestern regained varsity status have been in the NCAA tournament. Virginia took a 15-11 decision in the 2004 NCAA quarterfinals, while the Wildcats defeated the Cavaliers in both the 2005 and 2007 national championship games.
Three Wildcats Named Tewaaraton Trophy Nominees
As the regular season winds down, the race for the Tewaaraton Trophy is heating up, as the Tewaaraton Foundation has named its 25 nominees for the sport's most prestigious award. Hannah Nielsen, the reigning Tewaaraton Trophy winner, headlines the list, and is joined by teammates Hilary Bowen and Morgan Lathrop, as the three nominations from Northwestern is tied with Duke for the most of any school. The 2009 Tewaaraton Trophy will be awarded on May 28th in Washington, D.C.
Smith Named American Lacrosse Conference Rookie of the Week
Freshman Shannon Smith has been named the American Lacrosse Conference Rookie of the Week for the second time after notching the game-tying goal against Penn State on April 12. She also added a pair of ground balls and two draw controls in helping lead the Wildcats to the 17-6 victory. Smith ranks fifth on the team in both points (22) and goals (19). She was also named ALC Rookie of the Week on March 30 and is one of six Wildcats to earn ALC Player of the Week honors this season.
`Cats Continue American Lacrosse Conference Domination
Since joining the American Lacrosse Conference in 2002, Northwestern has posted a 34-9 (.791) record, and has won or shared each of the past five ALC crowns, winning the title outright each of the past four seasons. With the 17-6 victory over Penn State Sunday, the Wildcats upped their conference winning streak to 25 games, one game shy of tying Delaware for the NCAA record for consecutive conference wins (the Blue Hens won 26 America East Conference games from 1997-2000). Northwestern has also dominated the ALC Championship, posting a 4-0 record since the tournament began in 2007.
For the complete weekly release, click the PDF link above.