May 11, 2011
2011 NCAA Championship -- First Round
No. 2 Northwestern (17-2, 3-2 ALC) vs. Boston College (12-6, 1-4 ACC)
Saturday, May 14
Lakeside Field
Evanston, Ill. 3 p.m. CT
FREE Live Stream: NUsports.com
TV Re-Air: Big Ten Network -- Sunday, May 15, 6 p.m. CT
Audio: WNUR 89.3 FM
Gametracker: NUsports.com
In-Game Updates: Twitter (@NU_SportsLIVE)
Northwestern Weekly Release -- May 11 
EVANSTON, Ill. -- Six-time national finalist Northwestern and first-time NCAA Championship participant Boston College offer a contrast in program histories, but history counts for little when the two teams take the field this weekend. The 'Cats and Eagles will meet for the first time since 1992 in the opening round of the 2011 NCAA Women's Lacrosse Championship at 3 p.m. Saturday in Evanston.
Admission
Tickets to the game can be purchased at the entrance to Lakeside Field at a cost of $8 for adults and $5 for youth, students and senior citizens. Earlier this week, Northwestern announced that the first 50 NU students to arrive would be admitted to the game free of charge courtesy of head coach Kelly Amonte Hiller.
Wildcats on the Web
Saturday's postseason tilt will stream live at no cost on NUsports.com and re-air on tape delay on the Big Ten Network at 6 p.m. Sunday. Fans can supplement their viewing with live Gametracker stats or in-game updates on Twitter (@NU_SportsLIVE).
Scouting the Eagles
2011: 12-6 overall, 5-2 away, No. 13 IWLCA
Last Three Games: W at New Hampshire (14-9), L vs. Maryland (8-5), W vs. Virginia Tech (17-3)
Head Coach: Bowen Holden (Georgetown '01), Sixth season at Boston College (42-45, .483)
Key Players: Kristin Igoe (Sr., M): 42 goals, 17 assists, 33 ground balls; Brittany Wilton (Jr., A): 39 goals, 16 assists, 93 draw controls; Jill Rekart (Sr., D): 34 ground balls, 20 draw controls, 17 caused turnovers; Sheila Serafino (Sr., GK): 127 saves, .447 save percentage, 8.94 goals against average.
A Closer Look
Northwestern and Boston College, though strangers on the lacrosse field since 1992, share a common link in BC associate head coach Acacia Walker. Walker was part of three national championship-winning teams in Evanston during the 2006-08 seasons and is in her first season as associate head coach at BC after two years in the same role at Massachusetts. NU and Boston College share three common opponents this season; the 'Cats went 3-0 against North Carolina, Duke and Virginia, while the Eagles managed a victory over only the Cavaliers in ACC play. BC has been aided by Brittany Wilton's stellar play on draw controls, ranking second nationally with 5.17 per game.
Wildcats Hold Top Spot in RPI
Northwestern, the No. 2 seed in the NCAA Championship for the second year in a row, ended the season with the No. 1 RPI in the nation, the NCAA announced Monday. Northwestern has played 12 games against teams in the RPI and posted an 11-1 mark in those games. The RPI takes into account such factors as wins and losses, strength of schedule and road vs. home performance.
Last Time Out: Wildcats Extend ALC Championship Reign with 10-9 Defeat of Gators
Trailing by three and with less than 14 minutes to play, No. 3 Northwestern exploded for a 5-0 run over a 10-minute stretch that allowed it to overcome No. 4 Florida, 10-9, in the ALC Championship game Saturday in Nashville. NU remains the only champion in the five-year history of the ALC Tournament and has now won seven consecutive conference championships. Junior Shannon Smith scored five goals for the second straight day and finished with a hand in seven of NU's 10 tallies en route to winning tournament MVP honors. Freshman Alyssa Leonard also keyed Northwestern's comeback with her four straight draw control wins late in the second half; the ALC Rookie of the Year hauled in nine draw controls for the game, one off her career high and one more than the entire Florida team on Saturday.
Getting Defensive
Northwestern's defense has made great strides recently, and it showed in recent wins over Virginia and Penn State. With NU's offense struggling to find the back of the net against a tough Cavs' defense, NU turned up the intensity and allowed only one goal over the final 49 minutes while also causing eight turnovers, its highest team total since April 8. Northwestern then stifled Penn State in their first-round match at the ALC Championship, not allowing a second-half goal and getting six big saves from Brianne LoManto. It was the first time since March 12, 2010, against Duquesne that NU held an opponent scoreless in a half. In their last three outings, the 'Cats are allowing a paltry 5.33 goals per game compared to 9.5 in its first 16 games in 2011.
Goalie Wars
Fans at Lakeside Field Saturday will bear witness to two of the stingiest goalies in college lacrosse in NU junior Brianne LoManto and Boston College senior Sheila Serafino. After allowing fewer than five goals in two of her last three games, LoManto has dropped her career goals against average to 8.66, the third-best career clip among active Division I netminders. Serafino ranks fifth on that list with a cumulative goals against average of 8.88.
ALC All-Tournament Team Features Four 'Cats; Smith Named MVP
Northwestern's run to its seventh-straight ALC Championship required a total team effort, but the conference selected four individuals to the ALC All-Tournament team and recognized a fifth, Shannon Smith, as the tournament MVP. Smith scored 10 goals and 13 points in the two games, including two late in the championship game that sparked NU's rally from a three-goal deficit. The Wildcats' representatives on the All-Tournament team were Alyssa Leonard, Brianne LoManto, Colleen Magarity and Taylor Thornton.
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, and she has an opportunity to continue that trend Saturday. Since taking the reins of Northwestern lacrosse in 2002, the 'Cats have played 32 games against Atlantic Coast Conference foes, posting a 24-8 record in the past eight seasons with an 11-1 mark in Evanston. Northwestern is 3-0 against ACC squads this season.
Northwestern vs. the ACC Since 2002
Boston College: N/A
Duke: 8-2 (.800); Last: Northwestern 12, Duke 10 (2011)
Maryland: 2-1 (.667); Last: Maryland 13, Northwestern 11 (2010 NCAA Champ.)
North Carolina: 8-2 (.800); Last: Northwestern 7, North Carolina 6 (OT) (2011)
Virginia: 5-1 (.833); Last: Northwestern 8, Virginia 4 (2011)
Virginia Tech: 1-2 (.333); Last: Northwestern 12, Virginia Tech 11 (2004)
Smith Drives Northwestern Attack
Northwestern's scoring attack has been spearheaded all season by Shannon Smith, a trend that continued in the ALC Championship. The nation's most prolific scorer with 5.58 points per game, Smith is third nationally with 68 goals while her 38 assists represent the sixth-best single-season total in Northwestern history. With single-game outings that included seven goals (vs. Stanford) and the sixth 10-point game by a Wildcat (vs. Georgetown), Smith has moved up to seventh all-time in points (246) and ninth in career goals (170). She enters play this weekend with at least one goal in 41 consecutive games.
Looking Ahead
A victory for Northwestern on Saturday would give the 'Cats the chance to host a second-round game against the winner between Dartmouth and No. 7 Albany. View the complete interactive bracket at NCAA.com.
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