Taylor Thornton and the Northwestern defense have limited opponents to fewer than 10 goals in four straight games, their longest such streak of the year.Taylor Thornton and the Northwestern defense have limited opponents to fewer than 10 goals in four straight games, their longest such streak of the year.

'Cats, Undefeated Great Danes Fight For Trip to NCAA Semifinals

May 18, 2011

2011 NCAA Championship -- Quarterfinals
No. 2 Northwestern (18-2, 3-2 ALC) vs. No. 7 Albany (18-0, 6-0 America East)
Saturday, May 21
Lakeside Field
Evanston, Ill. • 7 p.m. CT
Live Television Big Ten Network (BTN Channel Finder)
Audio: WNUR 89.3 FM
Gametracker:
In-Game Updates: Twitter (@NU_SportsLIVE)
Interactive NCAA Championship Bracket: NCAA.com

Northwestern Weekly Release -- May 18 Get Acrobat Reader

EVANSTON, Ill. -- Standing between No. 2 Northwestern and a seventh-straight trip to the semifinals of the NCAA Women's Lacrosse Championship is upstart Albany, the lone undefeated team in the country at 18-0. NU will try to deal the Great Danes their first loss when the two teams do battle at 7 p.m. Saturday in a quarterfinal round game that will be televised live from Lakeside Field by the Big Ten Network.

Tickets to the event may be purchased at the entrance to Lakeside Field ($8 adults, $5 students, youth and senior citizens). Northwestern has announced that all NU students will receive FREE admission to the game as well as a voucher for a free Coke Zero redeemable at the concession stand!

Wildcats on the Web
If fans of Northwestern lacrosse aren't able to make it to Lakeside Field or catch the live Big Ten Network broadcast, they can still follow the action with and in-game Twitter updates by following @NU_SportsLIVE.

Scouting the Great Danes
2011: 18-0 overall, 8-0 away
Last Three Games: W at Dartmouth (10-7), W vs. UMBC (11-4), W vs. New Hampshire (18-7)
Head Coach: John Battaglino (Siena '86), First season (18-0, 1.000)
Key Players: Taylor Frink (Sr., A): 34 goals, 49 assists, 28 ground balls; Jodi Battaglia (Sr., A): 54 goals, 15 assists; Ariana Parker (Fr., M): 46 goals, 26 ground balls; Nikki Branchini (Sr., M): 92 draw controls, 32 ground balls; Anna Berman (Fr., GK): 104 saves, 6.82 goals against average.

A Closer Look
Albany, which played its first season of varsity women's lacrosse in 2000, has never faced Northwestern in the regular season and is making its NCAA Championship debut in 2011, just as NU's first-round opponent Boston College did a week ago. The Great Danes' remarkable undefeated campaign in 2011 represents only the third winning season in program history, with the first having come two years ago in 2009. They have captured back-to-back America East Conference championships and last week claimed their first-ever NCAA Championship win when they went on the road--despite being the higher seed--to defeat Dartmouth, 10-7. Led by Taylor Frink's 83 points and Nikki Branchini's 92 draw controls, Albany has five victories over ranked opponents, including one-goal wins over Penn State and Boston College.

'Cats in the NCAA Championship
Northwestern has thrived in the national tournament under Kelly Amonte Hiller, reaching the quarterfinals in 2004 before beginning its active streak of six consecutive national title game appearances. NU is 25-2 in the postseason since 2002 with a 14.2 goals per game average in those 27 contests while limiting its opponents to 8.1 goals per outing. Including the early days of Wildcats lacrosse, Northwestern is 26-7 all-time in the dance, a Division I-best winning percentage of .788.

In Control
Northwestern ranks second in Division I with its efficiency on the draw control -- hauling in 15.85 per game -- and winning 64.4 percent of its opportunities. ALC Rookie of the Year Alyssa Leonard, who earlier this year tied a school record with the third 10-draw control performance in NU history, ranks seventh nationally with 3.95 controls per game. She was critical to NU's 10-9 win over Florida in the ALC Championship game, single-handedly outdrawing the Gators, 9-8. Junior Alex Frank ranks second on the team with 63 draw controls and has moved up to sixth all-time at NU with 168 career draw controls. Frank recorded seven draws in back-to-back games earlier this season, single-handedly matching Syracuse's team total on March 23.

First Through 30
Northwestern owns a commanding 136-84 advantage in first-half goals scored against its opponents through 20 games this season. NU has brought a lead into the locker rooms on 15 occasions and has closed out wins in 14 of those contests. The Wildcats also are 3-1 in games where they trailed at the break -- most recently coming from behind in the ALC Championship game against No. 4 Florida -- and are 1-0 when the score was tied after 30 minutes.

Shannon Smith Named Tewaaraton Award Finalist
Northwestern junior Shannon Smith has been chosen as one of five finalists for the 2011 Tewaaraton Award as announced by the Greater Washington Sports Alliance. Smith becomes the fifth different Northwestern player to be named a finalist for the prestigious award, handed out annually to the nation's top performer in men's and women's college lacrosse. Smith's prolific season can be counted among the best the sport has seen, with her 113 points sitting 18th all-time in Division I for most points in a single year. Her 73 goals and 40 assists rank fifth and sixth, respectively, on NU's single-season ledgers. The presentation of the 2011 award will be made on June 2.

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 score against a tough Cavs' defense in the regular-season finale, 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. The 'Cats 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. In its last four outings, Northwestern is allowing a paltry 6.0 goals per game compared to 9.5 in its first 16 games.

Help From DeRonda
Since making her first career start and scoring two goals at Virginia in the regular-season finale, freshman Kat DeRonda has continued to be a threat from behind the net for NU's attack. The Carthage, N.Y., native chipped in four points in two games at the ALC Championship before recording an assist in her NCAA Championship debut vs. Boston College, bringing her points streak to five games and her total on the year to 14 points.

But Who's Counting?
Northwestern's success under the direction of Kelly Amonte Hiller has been reflected in several statistical trends, perhaps most notable among them being NU's dominance at home and its ability to light up the scoreboard. The Wildcats' win over Boston College in their last home match gave them victories in 70 of their last 71 games at Lakeside Field dating back to 2004. Meanwhile, NU has scored in double figure goals in all but two games since May 3, 2008 -- a span of 67 games -- with the two exceptions coming in a 7-6 overtime win vs. No. 3 North Carolina and an 8-4 defeat of Virginia earlier this season.

••••••

Be the first to know what's going on with the 'Cats -- Follow @NU_Sports on Twitter, become a fan of Northwestern Athletics on Facebook! and subscribe to the NU Sports Express e-newsletter to receive the latest news, schedule updates and video and to interact with NU. For more information on following specific Northwestern teams online, visit our Social Media page!