March 31, 2011
No. 2 Northwestern (9-0, 1-0 ALC) vs. No. 3 Duke (9-1, 2-1 ACC)
Saturday, April 2
Lakeside Field
Evanston, Ill. Noon CT
Live TV Coverage: Big Ten Network (Mike Wolf and Kara Lentz) (Big Ten Network Channel Finder)
Audio: WNUR 89.3 FM and NUsports.com
Gametracker:
In-game Updates: @NU_SportsLIVE
Northwestern Weekly Release -- March 31 
2011 NCAA Women's Lacrosse Statistics
EVANSTON, Ill. -- In the first of three consecutive home games, second-ranked Northwestern looks to overcome a team ranked No. 3 in the country for the second time this year when it hosts ACC power Duke at noon Saturday at Lakeside Field. The Big Ten Network will be carrying the live broadcast of the game to a national audience.
In addition to the action on the field, Northwestern head coach Kelly Amonte Hiller has announced that she and her staff will be hosting a free postmatch clinic for girls in grades one through eight immediately following the game. Those wishing to participate should bring a stick, protective goggles and a mouthguard.
NU also will be giving away a free Northwestern Lacrosse car window cling to the first 1,000 fans in attendance at Lakeside Field.
Wildcats on the Web
Northwestern is making its first of at least two appearances this season on the Big Ten Network against Duke, with next week's game against Pennsylvania also set to hit the airwaves. In addition, NU fans can catch the audio broadcast courtesy of WNUR (89.3 FM), listen to a live stream of that broadcast on NUsports.com or receive live updates by following the username NU_SportsLIVE on Twitter.
Scouting the Blue Devils
2011: 9-1 overall, 2-1 away, No. 3 IWLCA Poll
Last Three Games: W vs. Virginia (11-8), W vs. Dartmouth (15-7), W vs. Virginia Tech (18-8)
Head Coach: Kerstin Kimel (Maryland '93), 16th season at Duke (198-101, .662)
Key Players: Christie Kaestner (Sr., A), 23 goals, 26 assists; Emma Hamm (Jr., M/A), 27 goals, 16 assists, 41 draw controls; Kat Thomas (Jr., M), 28 goals, 35 draw controls; Mollie Mackler (Jr., GK), 80 saves, 9.7 goals against average.
Series Information
Saturday marks the 10th all-time meeting between Northwestern and Duke with the Wildcats claiming victories in the last six contests. The last time these two schools faced off was in the quarterfinals of the 2010 NCAA Tournament in Evanston, where Northwestern sped to an overwhelming 10-0 lead in the game's first 13 minutes and played to a draw the rest of the way to win 18-8. It was Northwestern's second win of the year against the Blue Devils, the first of which came by a 19-14 score in Durham behind a career-best five-goal effort by Brooke Matthews.
Last Time Out
Thanks to an overwhelming 24-2 advantage in draw controls and a career-best five goals by sophomore Erin Fitzgerald, second-ranked Northwestern handed No. 20 Massachusetts its second defeat of the season, 17-7, Saturday night in Amherst. Contributing to NU's seventh straight game with at least 16 goals were Amanda Macaluso (three goals) and Shannon Smith, who notched two goals and three assists. Northwestern, which was a perfect 13-for-13 on draw controls in the second half, used a seven-goal spurt that spanned both sides of halftime to put the game away. UMass is under the direction of first-year head coach and former Wildcat Angela McMahon ('04).
Distinguished Dozen: Smith Joins Elite Group
With a full season and a half still to go in her Northwestern career, junior Shannon Smith already has put herself in elite company in NU lacrosse history. With her five-point outing at Massachusetts Saturday, Smith became the 12th Wildcat ever to reach 200 career points, doing so with a combination of 136 goals and 64 assists.
Amonte Hiller vs. the ACC
Kelly Amonte Hiller, a former All-American at Maryland, has been able to continue the success against ACC opponents she got used to in her playing days. Since taking over the reins of the Northwestern lacrosse program in 2002, the Wildcats have played 29 games against Atlantic Coast opponents, posting a 21-8 record in the past eight seasons including a 10-1 mark in Evanston. Northwestern faced ACC opponents on six occasions in 2010, posting a 4-2 record with a pair of victories over Duke and defeating North Carolina and Virginia.
Best Against the Best
The old cliché says that in order to be the best, you have to beat the best, which is a challenge Northwestern has met head-on. Since the program was reinstated in 2002, the Wildcats have compiled a 97-20 (.828) record against ranked opponents, including a 44-8 mark at home. But NU's record against the top-10 is even more impressive as the 'Cats are 54-10 (.844) since Kelly Amonte Hiller became head coach of the Wildcats -- including a 26-4 record at Lakeside Field -- with a chance to improve that mark Saturday against the Blue Devils.
Looking Ahead
Saturday's contest marks the beginning of a three-game homestand for the well-traveled Wildcats. Northwestern will play its second American Lacrosse Conference game of the year next Friday evening when it takes on No. 16 Penn State at 7 p.m. On Sunday, Northwestern will again play in front of a nationally televised audience when it faces top-10 foe Penn at noon.
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