April 17, 2010
No. 1 Northwestern (12-0) vs. No. 2 North Carolina (12-1)
Sunday, April 18
Lakeside Field
Evanston, Ill. 12:05 p.m.
TV: Big Ten Network (Re-airing at 3 p.m. CT Monday, April 19)
Audio: WNUR 89.3 FM
Gametracker:
Northwestern Game Notes (PDF)
Opening Draw
It will be a battle of one versus two Sunday at Lakeside Field as top-ranked Northwestern hosts second-ranked North Carolina at 12:05 p.m. The game is a rematch of last season's NCAA championship game and will be televised live on the Big Ten Network.
Wildcats To Make History Sunday
Sunday's showdown between the nation's top two teams will also be a part of history as the game between the Wildcats and the Tar Heels marks the first live women's lacrosse telecast in the two-year history of the Big Ten Network. Mark Larson will handle the play-by-play with Andrew Gothelf adding the color commentary. The showdown will also be rebroadcast on the Big Ten Network at 3 p.m. CT Monday, April 19 and again at 6 a.m. CT Tuesday, April 20. WNUR will be broadcasting the game as well at Sports.WNUR.org with live stats also available.
Scouting the Tar Heels
Second-ranked North Carolina heads to Evanston with a 12-1 record on the year and is 4-1 in ACC play after knocking off fourth-ranked Duke 9-6 Wednesday evening in Chapel Hill. The Tar Heels are averaging just over 15 goals a game, led by junior Corey Donohoe's team-best 33 goals and 48 points, two better than sophomore Becky Lynch's 46 points (28G, 18A) to go along with her team-best 31 ground balls. Senior Kristen Taylor ranks second on the squad with 31 goals and is the fourth Tar Heel to surpass the 40-point plateau this season. Seniors Jenn Russell (23G) and Megan Bosica (20G) have both eclipsed the 20-goal mark for North Carolina. Similar to Northwestern, the Tar Heels are one of the nation's best on the draw, ranking sixth nationally with a 14.83 average and led by 42 from senior Kristen Carr, who also ranks among the North Carolina leaders in ground balls (24) and caused turnovers (12). The Tar Heels are a threat on both ends of the field, as their 6.23 goals against average is the second-lowest in the nation. Senior goalkeeper Logan Ripley, this week's Inside Lacrosse Player of the Week, has notched 73 saves on the year with a .514 save percentage and a nation's best 6.14 goals against average. Head coach Jenny Levy is in her 15th season in Chapel Hill with an overall record of 189-80 (.703).
Series Information
Sunday marks the eighth meeting between Northwestern and North Carolina with the Wildcats holding a 6-1 advantage in the series. The two schools faced off twice last year with Northwestern taking a 12-7 victory in Chapel Hill during the regular season, then racing past the Tar Heels with a 21-7 victory in last year's NCAA championship game. This will be the fourth time Northwestern has faced North Carolina in Evanston, posting a 3-0 record against the Heels including a 16-3 decision in 2008.
Wildcats in No. 1 vs. No. 2 Showdowns
Sunday's tilt against second-ranked North Carolina marks the fourth time in Northwestern history that the Wildcats will face the country's second-ranked team while they themselves hold the number one spot in the polls. Northwestern is 3-0 all-time in those games, defeating Duke 16-11 in 2005 and Maryland 12-7 in 2006 in Evanston and then knocking off Penn 10-6 in the 2008 national championship game.
Come Paint the Lakefront Purple Sunday!
The Wildcats' game against second-ranked North Carolina Sunday will be the CartaPro Painters "Paint the Lake" game, with the first 750 fans receiving a free purple Northwestern lacrosse t-shirt. The game against the Tar Heels is also Scout Day, offering $2 admission to all boy and girl scouts along with a free Northwestern patch, and Youth Lacrosse Day in which all youth lacrosse players will be invited onto the field for the pre-game tunnel and will get a chance to meet Wildcat players afterwards.
Looking Ahead
Northwestern continues its season-ending home stand with another American Lacrosse Conference battle against a top-10 team when it welcomes Vanderbilt to Lakeside Field on Saturday, April 24. The game will be streamed live at NUsports.com with the opening draw against the Commodores set for 7 p.m.
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